Colleen McCullough, The Thorn Birds

We can know what we do wrong even before we do it, but self-knowledge can't affect or change the outcome, can it? Everyone singing his own little song, convinced it's the most wonderful song the world has ever heard. Don't you see? We create our own thorns, and never stop to count the cost. All we can do is suffer the pain, and tell ourselves it was well worth it.
― Colleen McCullough, The Thorn Birds

You still think love can save us. It’s more killing than hate. Hate is so clean, so simple. Like being in the ring. With hate, you just keep hitting. You hit until they stop hitting back. With love… They never stop.
― Colleen McCullough, The Thorn Birds

We're working-class people, which means we don't get rich or have maids. Be content with what you are and what you have.
― Colleen McCullough, The Thorn Birds