Rick Riordan famous quotes

It's always hard to wrap up a series. The longer I spend with the characters, the more they become like friends.
-- Rick Riordan

#Character

The most important thing whenever we're connecting kids to books, is that we try to match the book to the kid and make sure that reading is a fun, rewarding experience outside the classroom.
-- Rick Riordan

#Fun #Book #Reading

I have more ideas than I'll ever be able to write in five lifetimes.
-- Rick Riordan

#Writing #Ideas #Able

I try to craft books that are fun, that are sort of subversively educational so kids learn but they don't really feel like they're being lectured to, and I want kids to always finish one of my books and think, "That was great, where's the next one?"
-- Rick Riordan

#Fun #Educational #Book

I'm a teacher still, but with a much larger classroom.
-- Rick Riordan

#Teacher #Classroom #Stills

I like to remind teachers that even though they're all overwhelmed and overloaded, and it's easy to get burned out, it really is about the kids. It only takes one good teacher to change a life - one time, and one book. That's what happened when I was a kid. I had one good teacher that came in at the right time and turned me into a writer. So never lose sight - you could be that teacher.
-- Rick Riordan

#Teacher #Book #Kids

You have to be compelled to write. If you’re not, nothing else that you do matters.
-- Rick Riordan

#Writing #Matter

Teachers and librarians are some of my favorite people, especially since I was a teacher myself. I love talking to them because they have wonderful ideas about how to share books, and especially about how to share my books with kids.
-- Rick Riordan

#Teacher #Book #Kids

Jason scratched his head. "You named him Festus? You know that in Latin, ‘festus’ means ‘happy’? You want us to ride off to save the world on Happy the Dragon?
-- Rick Riordan

#Latin #Mean #Dragons

It's all still about having a good story. You have to have a good story as your anchor, as your main focus. So for me, personally, I just like to concentrate on writing the best book I can, and if there's other stuff that goes along with it, that's awesome, as long as the story is central.
-- Rick Riordan

#Book #Writing #Anchors

Can we just call them storm spirits?” Leo asked. “Venti makes them sound like evil espresso drinks.
-- Rick Riordan

#Espresso #Evil #Storm

As an author, I don't really think too much about being a celebrity. It's not like being a movie star or a TV star. It's not as if people recognize me when I walk down the street. That hardly ever happens, and it's just as well. But it is great when people know my books, when I walk through an airport and see them in the bookstore, or when I see someone reading a book on a plane or on a train, and it's something I've written. That's a wonderful feeling.
-- Rick Riordan

#Stars #Book #Reading

Great victory requires great risk. -Hera
-- Rick Riordan

#Risk #Victory #Hera

I think I write for reluctant readers. Of course I want everyone to enjoy my books, but if the kids in the back row who normally don't pick up a book are engaged with what I'm writing, along with the kids who are big readers anyway, then I really feel like I've done my job.
-- Rick Riordan

#Jobs #Book #Kids

Be careful of love. It'll twist your brain around and leave you thinking up is down and right is wrong.
-- Rick Riordan

#Love #Thinking #Brain

I could always see myself being a teacher. I remember sitting in class as a kid, listening to the teacher and thinking, you know, I'm pretty sure I could explain that a little bit better.
-- Rick Riordan

#Teacher #Kids #Thinking

Remake the world, a little at a time, each in your own corner of the world.
-- Rick Riordan

#World #Littles #Remakes

It's hard to know what [literature] will end up being timeless and what will be something that doesn't translate into the future, especially with the way we're evolving since our culture is changing so fast.
-- Rick Riordan

#Literature #Way #Culture

But remember, boy, that a kind act can sometimes be as powerful as a sword.
-- Rick Riordan

#Powerful #Boys #Kind

Selling one's book to Hollywood is rather like selling someone your house. After it's sold, it isn't yours anymore. They can paint it a different color, tear it down and build something new, or do anything they want.
-- Rick Riordan

#Book #Color #House

She'd also called me brave...unless she was talking to the catfish.
-- Rick Riordan

#Talking #Brave #Catfish

I enjoy writing for both kids and adults, though I think I'm better at children's stories because I was a teacher for so long, and I know that audience well. The process is no different whether I'm writing for children or adults. Really, the elements of making a good story are the same.
-- Rick Riordan

#Teacher #Children #Writing

I think anytime you're writing to the middle grades, you're writing to young readers who are trapped in a number of ways between two worlds: between childhood and adulthood, between their friends and their parents.
-- Rick Riordan

#Writing #Thinking #Two

I think the more you understand myths, the more you understand the roots of our culture and the more things will resonate. Do you have to know them? No, but certainly it is nice to recognise how deeply these things are embedded in our literature, our art.
-- Rick Riordan

#Art #Nice #Thinking

Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say.
-- Rick Riordan

#Fighting

It's funny how humans can wrap their mind around things and fit them into their version of reality.
-- Rick Riordan

#Life #Reality #Humanity

The sea does not like to be restrained.
-- Rick Riordan

#Sea #Doe

If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself.
-- Rick Riordan

#Inspirational #Life #Inspiring

Knowing too much of your future is never a good thing.
-- Rick Riordan

#Knowledge #Fate #Knowing

The real world is where the monsters are.
-- Rick Riordan

#Life #Real #World

Does truth have a moral?
-- Rick Riordan

#Truth #Doe #Moral

Young people don't always do what they're told, but if they can pull it off and do something wonderful, sometimes they escape punishment.
-- Rick Riordan

#Children #Punishment #People

You might as well ask an artist to explain his art, or ask a poet to explain his poem. It defeats the purpose. The meaning is only clear thorough the search.
-- Rick Riordan

#Art #Creativity #Purpose

Getting something and having the wits to use it...those are two different things.
-- Rick Riordan

#Two #Use #Different

You deal with mythological stuff for a few years, you learn that paradises are usually places where you get killed.
-- Rick Riordan

#Years #Paradise #Stuff

People are more difficult to work with than machines. And when you break a person, he can't be fixed.
-- Rick Riordan

#People #Machines #Break

Always, Always have a plan
-- Rick Riordan

#Plans

[My mom's] funny that way, celebrating special occasions with blue food. I think it's her way of saying anything is possible. Percy can pass seventh grade. Waffles can be blue. Little miracles like that.
-- Rick Riordan

#Mom #Thinking #Blue

Rachel: You're a half-blood, too? Annabeth: Shhh! Just announce it to the world, how about? Rachel: Okay. Hey, everybody! These two aren't human! They're half Greek god!...They don't seem to care.
-- Rick Riordan

#Blood #Two #Greek

I nodded, looking at Rachel with respect. "You hit the Lord of the Titans in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush.
-- Rick Riordan

#Eye #Blue #Lord

I told Tantalus to go chase a doughnut.
-- Rick Riordan

#Doughnut

The world was collapsing, and the only thing that really mattered to me was that she was alive.
-- Rick Riordan

#Love #World #Alive

With great power... comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later.
-- Rick Riordan

#Naps #Needs #Great Power

Afterward, I had the last laugh. I made an air bubble at the bottom of the lake. Our friends kept waiting for us to come up, but hey-when you are the son of Poseidon, you don't have to hurry. And it was pretty much the best underwater kiss of all time.
-- Rick Riordan

#Love #Cute #Son

I had weird dreams full of barnyard animals. Most of them wanted to kill me. The rest wanted food.
-- Rick Riordan

#Dream #Animal #Kill Me

I tell aspiring writers that you have to find what you MUST write. When you find it, you will know, because the subject matter won’t let you go. It’s not enough to write simply because you think it would be neat to be published. You have to be compelled to write. If you’re not, nothing else that you do matters.
-- Rick Riordan

#Writing #Thinking #Would Be

Chaos is impatient. It's random. And above all it's selfish. It tears down everything just for the sake of change, feeding on itself in constant hunger. But Chaos can also be appealing. It tempts you to believe that nothing matters except what you want.
-- Rick Riordan

#Selfish #Believe #Tears

Because I know you, Percy Jackson. In many ways, you are impulsive, but when it comes to your friends, you are as constant as a compass needle. You are unswervingly loyal, and you inspire loyalty. You are the glue that will unite the seven.
-- Rick Riordan

#Loyalty #Inspire #Way

dealing with any man means dealing with multiple personalities.
-- Rick Riordan

#Mean #Men #Personality

Writing is like a sport - you only get better if you practice
-- Rick Riordan

#Sports #Writing #Practice

On the bright side," Percy said, "both Jason and I outrank you, Octavian. So we can both tell you to shut up.
-- Rick Riordan

#Sides #Jason #Shut Up

[Iris] squeezed his hand. "Don't lose hope, Frank. Rainbows always stand for hope.
-- Rick Riordan

#Hands #Rainbow #Irises

I excel at pulling strings!” said Arachne. “I’m a spider!
-- Rick Riordan

#Spiders #Said #Strings

Leo drummed his fingers. “Great. I should have installed a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget. Remind me to invent that, next time.” Hazel frowned. “What is a chicken nugget?” “Oh, man…” Leo shook his head in amazement. “That's right. You’ve missed the last, like, seventy years. Well, my apprentice, a chicken nugget—” “Doesn’t matter,” Annabeth interrupted.
-- Rick Riordan

#Men #Years #Smell

The meeting was like a war council with donuts. Then again, back at Camp Half-Blood they used to have their most serious discussions around the Ping-Pong table in the rec room with crackers and Cheez Whiz, so Percy felt right at home.
-- Rick Riordan

#War #Home #Blood

I don't deserve you." "You're not allowed to say that." "Why not?" "It's a breakup line. Unless you're breaking up-" Jason leaned over and kissed her. The colors of the Roman afternoon suddenly seemed sharper, as it the world had switched to high definition. "No breakups," he promised. "I may have busted my head a few times, but I'm not that stupid.
-- Rick Riordan

#Breakup #Stupid #Color

Knowledge of any value can't be given. It must be sought and earned
-- Rick Riordan

#Given #Values

Being a hero doesn’t mean you’re invincible. It just means that you’re brave enough to stand up and do what’s needed.
-- Rick Riordan

#Hero #Mean #Brave

I didn't understand how. But the toilets had responded to me. I had become one with the plumbing...
-- Rick Riordan

#Toilets #Plumbing

In the old legends, Arachne had gotten into trouble because of pride. She’d bragged about her tapestries being better than Athena’s, which had led to Mount Olympus’s first reality TV punishment program: 'So You Think You Can Weave Better Than a Goddess?' Arachne had lost in a big way.
-- Rick Riordan

#Pride #Reality #Thinking

Traitor!" Hera shouted. "You meddlesome, D-list goddess! You aren't worthy to pour my wine, much less rule the world.
-- Rick Riordan

#Wine #World #Lists

Twelve minutes. I can give you that.
-- Rick Riordan

#Giving #Twelve #Minutes

My goal in the classroom was always to make sure they were having so much fun that they didn't realize they were learning.
-- Rick Riordan

#Fun #Goal #Realizing

I have a great deal of sympathy for reluctant readers because I was one. I would do anything to avoid reading. In my case, it wasn't until I was 13 and discovered the 'Lord of the Rings' that I learned to love reading.
-- Rick Riordan

#Reading #Lord #Cases

Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we're related for better or for worse...and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum.
-- Rick Riordan

#Family #Home #Trying

In a way, it's nice to know that there are Greek gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong. For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck; when you're a half-blood, you understand that some devine force is really trying to mess up your day.
-- Rick Riordan

#Nice #Rain #Thinking

Go on with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all.
-- Rick Riordan

#Inspirational #Heart #Goes On

Can you surf really well, then?" I looked at Grover, who was trying hard not to laugh. "Jeez, Nico," I said. "I've never really tried." He went on asking questions. Did I fight a lot with Thalia, since she was a daughter of Zeus? (I didn't answer that one.) If Annabeth's mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, then why didn't Annabeth know better than to fall off a cliff? (I tried not to strangle Nico for asking that one.) Was Annabeth my girlfriend? (At this point, I was ready to stick the kid in a meat-flavored sack and throw him to the wolves.)
-- Rick Riordan

#Daughter #Mother #Girlfriend

The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car
-- Rick Riordan

#Car #World #Pegasus

I love New York. You can pop out of the Underworld in Central Park, hail a taxi, head down Fifth Avenue with a giant hellhound loping behind you, and nobody even looks at you funny.
-- Rick Riordan

#New York #Central Park #Giants

Even strength must bow to wisdom sometimes.
-- Rick Riordan

#Inspirational #Wisdom #Understanding

I past another telkhine, who was so startled he dropped his Lil' Demons lunch box. I left him alive - partly because he had a cool lunch box...
-- Rick Riordan

#Past #Lunch #Alive

Well . . . sure good to be together again. Arguing. Almost dying. Abject terror. Oh, look. It's our floor.
-- Rick Riordan

#Dying #Together #Looks

Aretmis gripped her bow. “Let us pray I am wrong.” Can goddesses pray?
-- Rick Riordan

#Bows #Praying #Goddess

Not knowing is half the fun," Aphrodite said, "Exquisitely painful isn't it? Not being sure who you love and who loves you? Oh, you kids! It's so cute I'm going to cry!
-- Rick Riordan

#Cute #Fun #Love You

I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up.
-- Rick Riordan

#Long #Waiting #Brain

Hephaestus glowered up at us. “I didn’t make you, did I?” Uh,” Annabeth said, “no, sir.” Good,” the god grumbled. “Shoddy workmanship.
-- Rick Riordan

#Annabeth #Said #Workmanship

Nico strode forward. The enemy army fell back before him like he radiated death, which of course he did. Through the face guard of his skull-shaped helmet, he smiled. "Got your message. Is it too late to join the party?" "Son of Hades." Kronos spit on the ground. "Do you love death so much you wish to experience it?" "Your death," Nico said, "would be great for me." "I'm immortal, you fool! I have escaped Tartarus. You have no business here, and no chance to live." Nico drew his sword-three feet of wicked sharp Stygian iron, black as a nightmare. "I don't agree.
-- Rick Riordan

#Party #Son #Army

It takes strength and courage to admit the truth.
-- Rick Riordan

#Courage #Honesty

Have you ever noticed how parents can go from the most wonderful people in the world to totally embarrassing in three seconds?
-- Rick Riordan

#Relationship #People #Parent

A hero can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as he has the nerve.
-- Rick Riordan

#Hero #Long #Challenges

I'm Dylan. I'm so cool. I want to date myself, but I don't know how! You want to date me instead? You're so lucky!
-- Rick Riordan

#Want #Lucky #Dylan

It’s my birthday, Horus insisted. Wish me happy birthday! “Happy birthday!” I yelled. “Now shut up!
-- Rick Riordan

#My Birthday #Wish #Shut Up

Egyptians believe in the power of the sunrise. They believe each morning begins not just a new day, but a new world.
-- Rick Riordan

#Morning #Believe #New Day

To all my librarian friends, champions of books, true magicians in the House of Life. Without you, this writer would be lost in the Dust.
-- Rick Riordan

#Book #Dust #House

What about a compromise? I’ll kill them first, and if it turns out they were friendly, I’ll apologize.
-- Rick Riordan

#Friendly #Firsts #Apologizing

Hestia shook her head. "I am here because when all else fails, when all the other mighty gods have gone off to war, I am all that's left. Home. Hearth. I am the last Olympian
-- Rick Riordan

#War #Home #Gone

Fairness does not mean everyone gets the same. Fairness means everyone gets what they need.
-- Rick Riordan

#Mean #Doe #Needs

Sadie," he said forlornly, "when you become a parent, you may understand this. One of my hardest jobs as a father, one of my greatest duties, was to realize that my own dreams, my own goals and wishes, are secondary to my children's.
-- Rick Riordan

#Dream #Jobs #Children

The right choice is hardly ever the easy choice.
-- Rick Riordan

#Choices #Easy

A general never shows despair. He instills confidence in his troops. He leads them forward, even into the mouth of death.
-- Rick Riordan

#Leadership #Despair #Mouths

Life is only precious because it ends, kid.
-- Rick Riordan

#Kids #Life Is #Ends