Who's always last to know?
Who fills the air with cries?
Whose sanity is blasted?
And then who usually dies?
Who fills the air with cries?
Whose sanity is blasted?
And then who usually dies?
"I am not anti-female, I am anti-human. I wrote this story from the perspective of a female human because that came most naturally, as you might imagine. But if the narrator had been a male human, it would not have changed the events. When a human being is totally surrounded by creatures with supernatural strength, speed, senses, and various other uncanny powers, he or she is not going to be able to hold his or her own. Sorry. That's just the way it is."
Blake Thorburn: So being ignorant is the way to go, huh?
Fell: For billions of people on this Earth, yes. It affords a kind of protection. Not immunity. But on the whole, the average person is better off for being unaware.
Fell: For billions of people on this Earth, yes. It affords a kind of protection. Not immunity. But on the whole, the average person is better off for being unaware.
— Pact
Most mortals are rightly called Sleepers by the Awakened. They exist (or perhaps we exist) in a passive state of blindness, shying away from true insight, avoiding the symbolic death that leads to greater rebirth. We miss the wonders and possibilities around us. Our mundane lives have conditioned us to accept what is offered, from lying politicians to MTV, and we complain but do little to change it. Mages cannot be passive; they either progress or they stagnate. In stagnation lies eventual corruption, for stasis can only decay.
— Mage: The Ascension — Core Rulebook (2nd edition)
If magic is colours, these are the people born colour-blind: they don't know anything about magic and they don't want to, thank you very much. They've got plenty of things to deal with already, and if they do see anything that might shake the way they look a things, they convince themselves that they didn't see it double quick. This is maybe ninety percent of the adult civilized world.
— Fated
Eliot: The reason why most people can't do magic? Well. One, it's very hard and they're not smart enough. Two, it's very hard and they're not obsessive and miserable enough to do all the work you have to do to get it right. Three, they lack the guidance and mentorship provided by the dedicated and startlingly charismatic faculty of the Brakebills School for Magical Pedagogy. And four, they lack the tough, starchy moral fiber necessary to wield awesome magical energies calmly and responsibly. And five, some people have all that stuff and they still can't do it. They say the words, wave their arms and nothing happens. Poor bastard. But that's not us. We're the lucky ones. We have it, whatever it is.
Quentin: I don't know if I have the moral fiber one.
Eliot: I don't either. I think that one's optional, actually.
Quentin: I don't know if I have the moral fiber one.
Eliot: I don't either. I think that one's optional, actually.
Chester: There's a nerve cluster in the human brain called Merlin's lobe. It's to do with magic perception. In most humans, the lobe is underdeveloped, almost nonexistent. Those types, called incognizants, can't even acknowledge magic even when it's right in front of them. They just can't recognize it. The second-largest group, say about twenty percent, have developed enough so that they can recognize magic when they see it, but they can't really remember it very well once it's gone. They're light cognizants. Depending on how light, they might recall small details or none at all. Some light cogs have managed to learn some basic magic, but nothing spectacular or reliable.
Judy: Well, can't I learn to be more aware?
Chester: Perceiving magic isn't a skill. It's a psychological condition. Can a monkey learn to drive?
Judy: Well, can't I learn to be more aware?
Chester: Perceiving magic isn't a skill. It's a psychological condition. Can a monkey learn to drive?
— Monster
Linears only have one life and they don't bother to change anything. It's just not convenient.
