Quotes from Mightily Oats
... the seeker after truth had found truths instead. The Third Journey of the Prophet Cena, for example, seemed remarkably like a retranslation of the Testament of Sand in the Laotan Book of the Whole. On one shelf alone he found forty-three remarkably similar accounts of a great flood, and in every single one of them a man very much like Bishop Horn had saved the elect of mankind by building a magical boat. Details varied of course. Sometimes the boat was made of wood, sometimes of banana leaves. Sometimes the news of the emerging dry land was brought by a swan, sometimes by an iguana. Of course these stories in the chronicles of other religions were mere folktales and myth, while the voyage detailed in the Book of Cena was holy truth. But nevertheless. (CJ)
‘Just as Om reached out his hand to save the prophet Brutha from the torture, so will he spread his wings over me in my time of trial,’ said Oats, but he sounded as though he was trying to reassure himself rather than Nanny. He went on: ‘I’ve got a pamphlet if you would like to know more,’ and this time the tone was much more positive, as if the existence of Om was a little uncertain whereas the existence of pamphlets was obvious to any open-minded rational-thinking person. (CJ)
'Bein' human means judgin’ all the time,’ said the voice behind him. ‘This and that, good and bad, making choices every day… that’s human.’
‘And are you sure you make the right decisions?’
‘No. But I do the best I can.’
‘And hope for mercy, eh?’
A bony finger prodded him in the back.
‘Mercy’s a fine thing, but judgin’ comes first. Otherwise you don’t know what you’re bein’ merciful about.' (CJ)
‘Many people find faith a great solace,’ he said. He wished he was one of them.
‘Good.’
‘Really? Somehow I thought you’d argue.’
‘It’s not my place to tell ‘em what to believe, if they act decent.’
‘But it’s not something that you feel drawn to, perhaps, in the darker hours?’
‘No. I’ve already got a hot water bottle.' (CJ)
'There have to be rules, Mistress Weatherwax.’
‘And what’s the first one that your Om requires, then?’
‘That believers should worship no other god but Om,’ said Oats promptly.
‘Oh yes? That’s gods for you. Very self-centred, as a rule.' (CJ)
'And to think I thought it was an allegorical creature,’ said the priest.
‘Well? Even allegories have to live,’ said Granny Weatherwax. (CJ)
‘The search for the truth might be flawed, but the search itself is priceless.’ (JD)
‘Just as Om reached out his hand to save the prophet Brutha from the torture, so will he spread his wings over me in my time of trial,’ said Oats, but he sounded as though he was trying to reassure himself rather than Nanny. He went on: ‘I’ve got a pamphlet if you would like to know more,’ and this time the tone was much more positive, as if the existence of Om was a little uncertain whereas the existence of pamphlets was obvious to any open-minded rational-thinking person. (CJ)
'Bein' human means judgin’ all the time,’ said the voice behind him. ‘This and that, good and bad, making choices every day… that’s human.’
‘And are you sure you make the right decisions?’
‘No. But I do the best I can.’
‘And hope for mercy, eh?’
A bony finger prodded him in the back.
‘Mercy’s a fine thing, but judgin’ comes first. Otherwise you don’t know what you’re bein’ merciful about.' (CJ)
‘Many people find faith a great solace,’ he said. He wished he was one of them.
‘Good.’
‘Really? Somehow I thought you’d argue.’
‘It’s not my place to tell ‘em what to believe, if they act decent.’
‘But it’s not something that you feel drawn to, perhaps, in the darker hours?’
‘No. I’ve already got a hot water bottle.' (CJ)
'There have to be rules, Mistress Weatherwax.’
‘And what’s the first one that your Om requires, then?’
‘That believers should worship no other god but Om,’ said Oats promptly.
‘Oh yes? That’s gods for you. Very self-centred, as a rule.' (CJ)
'And to think I thought it was an allegorical creature,’ said the priest.
‘Well? Even allegories have to live,’ said Granny Weatherwax. (CJ)
‘The search for the truth might be flawed, but the search itself is priceless.’ (JD)
