We learn in Guards! Ridcully : [entering Lord Vetinari's office] This had better be important. Guards! And when the Patrician was unhappy, he became very democratic. There's a man who knows something." You're wrong, of course. All out of a kind of humdrum, everyday badness. "Guards! Taxation, gentlemen, is very much like dairy farming. It was enchantment itself. In Soul Music, Mr. Clete expresses a belief that "things that didn't work ... got broken". “The Truth: (Discworld Novel 25)”, p.48, Random House, Terry Pratchett (2008). ‘It’ll end in trouble, my lord,’ said Ridcully. And Vetinari says at one point that he'd rather shatter the most expensive Ming vase than see one hair be harmed on that "most ancient and venerable head." Lord Vetinari, an easy-going man by the standards of tyranny, has mime artists hunted down and locked up. "It's only the prospect, you see. Everyone is entitled to vote, unless disqualified by reason of age or not being Lord Vetinari. Stephen Briggs, Terry Pratchett (2008). I must confess the the activities of the UK governments for the past couple of years have been watched with frank admiration and amazement by Lord Vetinari. “Making Money: (Discworld Novel 36)”, p.22, Random House, Terry Pratchett (2008). Guards! Also from The New Discworld Companion, under "Fools' Guild", an excerpt originally from the Guild's Diary: I'm in the middle of an experiment. "You're wrong, of course. Sin, you might say, without a trace of originality. He’d found it a good general comment in practically any debate. Fantasy Books. “I’m not stupid. Lord Vetinari lifted an eyebrow with the care of one who, having found a piece of caterpillar in his salad, raises the rest of the lettuce. "I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people," said the man [Vetinari]. Named for Lord Havelock Vetinari of the Discworld series, the ruler of Ankh-Morpork, who has made himself so utterly indispensable to the city's continued functioning that despite his nature (he's either an Anti-Villain or a very ruthless Anti-Hero, depending on whom you ask), any attempt to remove or replace him is likely to end in disaster. (p. 337) "Down there," he said, "are people who will follow any dragon, worship any god, ignore any iniquity. And these are your reasons, my lord?" If there is any kind of supreme being, I told myself, it is up to all of us to become his moral superior.”. Vetinari is doubtlessly one of the most effortlessly cool characters in all of writing. Lord Vetinari turned away, took some papers from a desk drawer, walked to a wall, touched a certain area, and stepped quickly through the hidden door that noiselessly swung open. And you hope that if you wind a spring one way, all its energies will unwind the other way. Technically, the city of Ankh-Morpork is a Tyranny, which is not always the same thing as a monarchy, and in fact even the post of Tyrant has been somewhat redefined by the incumbent, Lord Vetinari, as the only form of democracy that works. He insists that all condemned prisoners should be offered the prospect of freedom." I am as drunk as a skunk, Drumknott, which of course means skunks are just as drunk as I. I must say the term is unfamiliar to me, and I had not thought hitherto of skunks in this context, but Mustrum Ridcully was kind enough to enlighten me.”, “Men marched away, Vimes. He'd decided that it was because, imprisoned in the priceless, inquiring amber of Leonard's massive mind, underneath that bright investigative genius was a kind of willful innocence that might in lesser men be called stupidity. *muffled moody Metallica playing in the night*. Lord Vetinari's political philosophy can be summed up by his belief that what people wish for most is not good government, or even justice, but merely for things to stay the same; the Vetinari family motto is, after all, Si non confectus, non reficiat ("If it ain't broke, don't fix it"). "The Truth". Lord Vetinari's orders. “The Wit and Wisdom of Discworld”, p.4, Harper Collins, There is a mistake in the text of this quote. Every day we present the best quotes! “The Colour Of Magic: (Discworld Novel 1)”, p.103, Random House, Terry Pratchett (2012). Peace?' Moist's counter was a fetching grin, which he knew annoyed Vetinari beyond measure, and there was absolute silence in the Oblong Office while blank stare and cheery grin battled it … "Yes, there is that, sir, yes, there is that," said the warden. No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away. "Therefore a wise prince ought to adopt such a course that his citizens will always in every sort and kind of circumstance have need of the state and of him, and then he will always find them faithful." note Follow AzQuotes on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. It has to deal with the male one. Not the really high, creative loathsomeness of the great sinners, but a sort of mass-produced darkness of the soul. Some achieved immortality by amassing great wealth. Complete collection of Terry Pratchett quotes by subject and cross-referenced Chris Jones. 'Oh, yes. Terry Pratchett Discworld. 'Ah, yes, defined as period of time to allow for preparation for the next war. Welcome back. Ankh-Morpork had dallied with many forms of government and had ended up with that form of democracy known as One Man, One Vote. This does not mean that there are absolutely no changes; however, things that don't work are fixed very quickly, even if it does not look like they are at first. Listing all quotes that contain the word [vetinari] Quote #34. “All right,” said Susan. said Lord Vetinari. "My motives, as ever, are entirely transparent." Just because someone's a member of an ethnic minority doesn't mean they're not a nasty small-minded little jerk [...]. Guards! "Freedom? Pulling together is the aim of despotism and tyranny. Because the bad people know how to plan. yapped a voice. But the captain had long ago decided that he would, on the whole, prefer to achieve immortality by not dying. I prefer to achieve immortality by not dying. "My motives, as ever, are entirely transparent." Lord Vetinari : I brought you here because I want to talk to you about angels. He found intricate and painful ways of spreading that unhappiness as far as possible. Every evil tyrant has a plan to rule the world. Quotes tagged as "lord-vetinari" Showing 1-2 of 2. “There's a limit to the power of a spring, no matter how tightly one winds it.'. "The Colour of Magic". “Oh, that's just Thud! Lord Vetinari won’t stop at sarcasm. Lord Vetinari, as supreme ruler of Ankh-Morpork, could in theory summon the Archchancellor of Unseen University to his presence and, indeed, have him executed if he failed to obey. Lord Vetinari could outstare a statue and make even a statue start to feel nervous and confess. ‘In my experience, practically everything does,’ he said. It was all very well going on about pure logic and how the universe was ruled by logic and the harmony of numbers, but the plain fact of the matter was that the Disc was manifestly traversing space on the back of a giant turtle and the gods had a habit of going round to atheists' houses and smashing their windows. Beyond was a corridor, lit by borrowed light from high windows and paved with small flagstones. I was merely endeavoring to indicate that if we do not grab events by the collar they will have us by the throat. “Jingo: Stage Adaptation”, p.17, A&C Black. Book by ‎Terry Pratchett, 1983. Every world spins in pain. Then he wondered: had anyone ever thought of themselves as a fangler?”, “I think it is just a matter of getting into the mind of the writer,” Vetinari went on, looking at a letter covered with grubby fingerprints and what looked like the remains of someone’s breakfast. You're wrong, of course. He might use’ - Colon swallowed - ‘irony.”, “Mister Lipwig, the world lives between those who say it cannot be done and those who say that it can. …to be completely frank, I paint vaguely the same thing on this date. A very endearing sight, I'm sure you'll agree, and even as I watched, the mother otter dived into the water and came up with a plump salmon, which she subdued and dragged onto a half submerged log. Every world spins in pain. To start things of, Vetinari starting to juggle knives and melons without ever having juggled prior to that occasion in Jingo is up there for me. And you're good at that, I'll grant you. P… The task is to extract the maximum amount of milk with the minimum amount of moo. “The Wit And Wisdom Of Discworld”, p.158, Random House, Terry Pratchett (2008). The good people don't seem to have the knack.”, “And in this doleful mood he ventured to wonder if they ever thought back to when things were just old-fangled or not fangled at all as against the modern day when fangled had reached its apogee. It was not a quick death.”, “But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. said Lord Vetinari. Book by ‎Terry Pratchett, 2000. ‘That is the nature of things. “We play and are played and the best we can hope for is to do it with style.”, “I have to ask, sir...Why does it have to be done like this? said Vetinari. Any sensible ruler would have killed off Leonard, and Lord Vetinari was extremely sensible and often wondered why he had not done so. i was inspired by an old thread about how the Show That Must Not Be Named messed up fem!vetinari and a newer thread about competing representation needs (in #representation and #lord vetinari on my blog respectively). Thomas Jefferson All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for men of good conscience to remain silent. Devil's Adequate. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides. Vetinari: "Oh, I do hope not. There's also the famous one from Pastor Niemöller When they came for the Communists As such, I wondered what all of your favourite moments of his are. But the trouble is it's the only thing you're good at. One of nature's wonders, gentlemen. Terry Pratchett Imagination Glowing It was octarine, the colour of magic. Lord Vetinari was particularly interested in the classical arts and (in flagrant defiance of the G… It is built into the very nature of the universe. One day it's the ringing of the bells and the casting down of the evil tyrant, and the next it's everyone sitting around complaining that ever since the tyrant was overthrown no one's been taking out the trash. That's easy!" It is built into the very nature of the universe. You had to hand it to the Patrician, he admitted grudgingly. It also appears that he has infiltrated the intelli… Fangling was indeed, he thought, here to stay. All out of a kind of humdrum, everyday badness. has anyone here ever considered trans!vetinari? idk ftm!vetinari has lots of potential to me. “Unseen Academicals: (Discworld Novel 37)”, p.528, Random House, Terry Pratchett (2013). : (Discworld Novel 8)”, p.151, Random House, Terry Pratchett (2009). Terry Pratchett (2009). Lord Vetinari was born into the extremely powerful Vetinari family (a word play on the real-life family of the Medici and on the word "veterinary") and raised by his aunt, Lady Roberta Meserole. In Monstrous Regiment , Tonker and Lofty are text, albeit small text. As a youth, he enrolled in the Assassins' Guild which, apart from teaching its students how to kill other people for money, also gives them an excellent education. Discworld Books. Never build a dungeon you wouldn't be happy to spend the night in yourself. Hughnon reflected that 'entirely transparent' meant either that you could see right through them or that you couldn't see them at all. “Guards! Lord Vetinari himself seems to say as much in Unseen Academicals (2009): “And that’s when I first learned about evil. ", “One of my predecessors used to have people torn to death by wild tortoises. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Putting up a statue to someone who tried to stop a war is not very, um, statuesque. Lord Vetinari: A Collection of Quotations Being a collection of quotations by and about His Lordship, the Patrician, for the reader's enjoyment and edification. Explore our collection of motivational and famous quotes by authors you know and love. Of course, if you had butchered five hundred of your own men out of arrogant carelessness, we'd be melting the bronze already. It was alive and glowing and vibrant and it was the undisputed pigment of the imagination, because wherever it appeared it was a sign that mere matter was a servant of the powers of the magical mind. 'In life as in politics.' “Reaper Man: (Discworld Novel 11)”, p.317, Random House, Terry Pratchett (2013). It is built in to the very nature of the universe. (TT) 0 Comments Freedom - … Outright theft as a policy had never occured to him.-- (Terry Pratchett, alt.fan.pratchett) “The Wit and Wisdom of Discworld”, p.38, Harper Collins, Terry Pratchett (2016). Mother and children dining upon mother and children. If complete and utter chaos was lightning, then he'd be the sort to stand on a hilltop in a thunderstorm wearing wet copper armour and shouting 'All gods are bastards! Also, in The Colour of Magic, it is suggested that he uses rats as messengers as well. “Unseen Academicals: (Discworld Novel 37)”, p.312, Random House, Terry Pratchett (2008). Book by Terry Pratchett, 1989. Hughnon reflected that 'entirely transparent' meant either that you could see right through them or that you couldn't see them at all. I'd rather put Lord Vetinari in charge of Australia than any of the Prime Ministers we've had since John Howard's retirement in 2007, and that's saying something. 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