His Dark Materials | Quotes

The Master says this to Lyra Belacqua after giving her the alethiometer and just before she leaves with Mrs. Marisa Coulter. He is warning her she is about to enter a world that is much more perilous than the one she is leaving behind.

Mrs. Marisa Coulter presents Lyra Belacqua with this definition of Dust to make her believe saving children from it, even in the most brutal ways, is justified.

As she discusses free will with Lee Scorseby, the witch Serafina explains everyone is already engaged in the war between good and evil, either consciously or unconsciously. She also tells him the people are controlled by fate but pretend otherwise to keep from going mad.

Lyra Belacqua hears this warning from Jotham Santelia, a prisoner in Svalbard, who seems to have gone mad during his imprisonment. But his words are echoed later by others who say that people, Dust, and even the subtle knife all have purposes known only to them.

This is Roger's response when Lyra offers to use the alethiometer to see if Roger is in danger. His choice results in his death.

With this statement Lord Asriel changes the definition of Original Sin from sex and disobedience to God to the dark and destructive impulses within human beings.

In the museum in Will Parry's Oxford, Lyra Belacqua becomes aware of the similarities between their worlds and begins to wonder if all but one of the parallel worlds she is learning about are simply dreams in the "mind" of the original one.

This is Lord Asriel's rallying cry, used to recruit others to his cause. He uses it to explain that both God and religious doctrine have been used to justify some of the most unspeakable acts in human history, so rebelling against both is justified.

When Stanislaus Grumman prioritizes his mission over helping a child that is in immediate danger, Lee Scorseby disagrees, feeling that the moment one person can help another is an opportunity that should never be ignored.

With these words Mary Malone explains the most frustrating thing about scientific research is that new discoveries often seem impossible, so no one is willing to pay attention to them.

The angel Balthamos presents Will Parry with this explanation of Dust when he reveals to the boy that angels, including the Authority, are "born" from Dust when they become self-aware.

Mary Malone, a former nun, makes this surprising statement to Will Parry and Lyra Belacqua when she explains why she left religion behind. When she realized it was forcing her to forego intellectual challenge, love, and physical pleasure, she suddenly felt "heaven was empty" and she preferred the paradise waiting for her on Earth.

Mary Malone tells Will Parry and Lyra Belacqua that when she stopped believing in God she stopped believing people were good and evil. She learned instead to judge their actions: good deeds were those that helped people, and evil ones hurt them.

The angel Xaphania, a rebel in the first heavenly battle, explains to Serafina Pekkala that those who were wise—she and the rebel angels—have always tried to open minds while the Authority and Church have always tried to keep minds closed. She warns Serafina that the war will never be over and people must always be ready to resist agents of the kingdom.

To console Lyra Belacqua when the two of them realize they must be separated, Will Parry echoes the words his father said to him. He wants to show her they have a great mission ahead of them and they can be happy in achieving it even though they are apart.