“Truth can be costly, but in the end it never falls short of value for the price paid.”

“I value devotion and fidelity, and doubt if it matters whether the object falls short. What you do and what you are is what matters. Your loyalty is as sacred as mine.”

“Truth is a hard master, and costly to serve, but it simplifies all problems.”

“Bitter though it may be to many, Cadfael concluded, there is no substitute for truth, in this or any case.”

“In the end there is nothing to be done but to state clearly what has been done, without shame or regret, and say: Here I am, and this is what I am. Now deal with me as you see fit. That is your right. Mine is to stand by the act, and pay the price.You do what you must do, and pay for it. So in the end all things are simple.”

“They sell courage of a sort in the taverns. And another sort, though not for sale, a man can find in the confessional. Try the alehouses and the churches, Hugh. In either a man can be quiet and think.”

“Here I begin to know that blessedness is what can be snatched out the passing day and put away to think of afterwards.”