37 'His Dark Materials' Quotes to Rail against Dogma and Embrace Magic

"His Dark Materials" is nearing its final season as fans look back at the adventures created by writers, directors, and creatives of all kinds. Let's revisit some characters by reading 37 of their most poignant words.

"His Dark Materials" is a fantasy series adapted from author Philip Pullman's trilogy. The story follows Lyra Belacqua and William Parry, her dæmon or animal spirit. Belacqua is foretold as the individual who will save her world from the Magisterium.

The Magisterium is intent on separating all individuals from their dæmons and preventing them from performing their magic to their full power. Find out more about this protagonist and other characters in this series by reading the 37 quotes below.

An image of a character from Philip Pullman’s "His Dark Materials" with Lyra Belacqua’s quote: “We have to build the Republic of Heaven where we are.” | Source: youtube.com/HBO

Lyra Belacqua Quotes

“The place you fight cruelty is where you find it, and the place you give help is where you see it needed.” — Lyra Belacqua, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials"

“Was there only one world, after all, that spent its time dreaming of others?" — Lyra Belacqua, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials"

“So she had passed her childhood like a half-wild cat.” — Lyra Belacqua, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

“We have to build the Republic of Heaven where we are.” — Lyra Belacqua, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials"

“Sometimes you’ve got to have dreams.” — Lyra Belacqua, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

An image of a character from Philip Pullman’s "His Dark Materials" with Lyra Belacqua’s quote: “Was there only one world, after all, that spent its time dreaming of others?" | Source: youtube.com/HBO

"I need to see what he is showing them." — Lyra Belacqua, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

“Look, Pan, there’s a pattern there—see? That’s why they’re in that sequence!” — Lyra Belacqua, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

Mary Malone Quotes

“It’s impossible, and if it isn’t impossible, it’s irrelevant, and if it isn’t either of those things, it’s embarrassing.” — Mary Malone, Philip Pullman, “His Dark Materials”

“Put your foot through the hole in the seedpod where I was playing, and you will become wise.” — Mary Malone, Philip Pullman, “His Dark Materials”

An image of a character Mary Maloned from "His Dark Materials" with her quote: "It’s impossible, and if it isn’t impossible, it’s irrelevant, and if it isn’t either of those things, it’s embarrassing.” | Source: youtube.com/HBO

Marisa Coulter Quotes

“It’s impossible, and if it isn’t impossible, it’s irrelevant, and if it isn’t either of those things, it’s embarrassing.” — Mary Malone, Philip Pullman, “His Dark Materials”

“Our origins don’t define us. It’s what we do with what we have.” — Marisa Coulter, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

"What does the name Lyra Belacqua mean to you?" — Marisa Coulter, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

"This is serious. Your life depends on it." — Marisa Coulter, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

Lord Asriel Quotes

An image of the character Lord Asriel from "His Dark Materials" with his quote: “We could take this universe apart and put it back together again." | Source: youtube.com/HBO

"As some of you already know, I set out for the north some 12 months ago on a diplomatic mission to the King of Lapland. At least that's what I was pretending to be doing." — Lord Asriel, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

“To rebel was right and just when you considered what the agents of the Authority did in His name.” — Lord Asriel, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

"We, as adults, are surrounded by dust. In fact, we're almost consumed by it. But children, it seems, are not." — Lord Asriel, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

“My daughter! Isn’t it something to bring a child like that into the world? You’d think it was enough to go alone to the king of the armored bears and trick his kingdom out of his paws—but to go down into the world of the dead and calmly let them all out! And that boy, I want to meet that boy; I want to shake his hand. Did we know what we were taking on when we started this rebellion? No. But did they know—the Authority and his Regent, this Metatron—did they know what they were taking on when my daughter got involved?” — Lord Asriel, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

“We could take this universe apart and put it back together again." — Lord Asriel, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

An image of a book and a compass with a quote from Philip Pullmans sourced from his"His Dark Materials" novel: “Without stories, we wouldn't be human beings at all.” | Source: youtube.com/HBO

"This is the first of the discoveries I made...I took this photogram with a standard silver nitrate emulsion." — Lord Asriel, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

The Author’s Quotes: Inside and beyond the Novels

"Tolkien seems to me reactionary, conservative, fearful of a modern world. Fearful of anything that isn't sanctioned by the passage of long eons of time. I think what I'm doing in His Dark Materials is politically the reverse of that." — Philip Pullman

“But it didn’t seem to Lyra that she would ever grow up.” — Philip Pullman, “His Dark Materials"

“Without stories, we wouldn't be human beings at all.” — Philip Pullman, “His Dark Materials”

An image of a character with a quote from the character from"His Dark Materials": “Our origins don’t define us. It’s what we do with what we have.” | Source: youtube.com/HBO

“Dust is something bad, something wrong, something evil and wicked.” — Philip Pullman, “His Dark Materials”

"So Lyra and her daemon turned away from the world they were born in, and looked toward the sun, and walked into the sky." — Philip Pullman

“Then Lyra gave a cry so passionate that even in that muffled, mist-hung world, it raised an echo, but of course, it wasn’t an echo; it was the other part of her crying in turn from the land of the living as Lyra moved away into the land of the dead." — Philip Pullman, “His Dark Materials”

More Quotes from "His Dark Materials” Characters

“If you can remove someone’s soul, you can do anything.” — Lee Scoresby, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

“We are all subject to the fates. But we must all act as if we are not.” — Juta Kamainen, Philip Pullman, “His Dark Materials”

An image of a character from"His Dark Materials" with a quote from the character Lee Scoresby: “If you can remove someone’s soul, you can do anything.” | Source: youtube.com/HBO

“Don’t try to live in a world that’s not your own, no matter how tempting it may seem.” — John Parry, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

“I'd rather not know what’s in the future. I’ll stick to the present.” — Roger Parslow, Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials”

“You don’t need to be like anyone else. They’d be lucky to be anything like you.” — Will Parry, Philip Pullman, “His Dark Materials”

An image from the series "His Dark Materials" with a quote from the character Juta Kamainen: “We are all subject to the fates. But we must all act as if we are not.” | Source: youtube.com/HBO

“All of us...are engaged in a war already, although not all of us know it.” — Serafina Pekkala, Philip Pullman, “His Dark Materials”

“That’s the duty of the old, “to be anxious on behalf of the young. And the duty of the young is to scorn the anxiety of the old.” — The Librarian, Philip Pullman, “His Dark Materials”

“Men and women are moved by tides much fiercer than you can imagine.” — Dr. Carne, Philip Pullman, “His Dark Materials”

An image of a character from the series"His Dark Materials" with a quote from the character Juta Kamainen: “I'd rather not know what’s in the future. I’ll stick to the present.” | Source: youtube.com/HBO

The author of the original material, Phillip Pullman, has received many acclamations and honors for his works in literature. These include a Carnegie Medal for his novel "The Golden Compass" and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

He has written or contributed to over 50 books, including a writer's handbook he wrote, and acting as a contributing author to a book on climate change, namely "Do Good Lives Have to Cost the Earth?"

To dig deeper into another acclaimed writer's life and perspectives, read these 84 Neil Gaiman quotes on writing and the beautiful art of storytelling.