291 quotes found
"Morpheus' gifts used to come to me in bottles, Beam and black Jack Daniel's, straight up with a frosted schooner of Jax on the side, while the rain poor down in the neon glow outside the window of an all-night bar not far from the Huey Long Bridge. In a half hour I could kick open a furnace door and fling into the flames all the snakes and squeaking bats that lived inside me. Except the next morning they would writhe with new life in the ashes and come back home, stinking and hungry."
"Hrathen turned to Dial. “The first step in taking control of a nation, Arteth, is the simplest. You find someone to hate.”"
"You will find that hate can unify people more quickly and more fervently than devotion ever could."
"“Eventually I found the best source of information to be the soldiers with guard the city walls.” “I’ve heard of them,” Sarene said, looking over her clothing. “They’re supposed to be the most elite fighting group in Arelon.” “And they are very quick to tell you so, my lady,” Ashe said. “I doubt many of them would know what to do in a battle, though they seem quite proficient at cards and drinking. They tend to keep their uniforms well pressed, however.”"
"Men often place pride before reason."
"“I do, however, wonder why you preach hatred of the Atlantans when you yourself simply pity them.” Hrathen didn’t respond immediately, tapping his gauntleted finger against the stone parapet with a repetitive click. “It’s not so hard, once you accustom yourself to it,” he finally said. “A man can force himself to hate if he wishes, especially if he convinces himself that it is for a higher good.”"
"“I suppose an optimistic comment wouldn’t do much good right now.” Galladon smiled slightly. “Definitely not—you optimists just can’t understand that a depressed person doesn’t want you to try and cheer them up. It makes us sick.”"
"You have to expect a measure of subterfuge in any political engagement."
"They needed to work and improve their own lives, not wait for some external miracle."
"For the man whose religion claims to spread truth, priest, your lies are strikingly vulgar."
"There's always another secret."
"[..] overthrowing the Final Empire seems like a good start. Are there any religions on your list that include the slaughter of noblemen as a holy duty?"
"I've always been very confident in my immaturity."
"That's the funny thing about arriving somewhere, Vin. Once you're there, the only thing you can really do is leave again"
"The Eleventh Metal? Of course it is - I showed it to you remember?"
"Surprisingly, it was in my mouth," he said, "I always forget to check there."
"I try to avoid having thoughts. They lead to other thoughts, and—if you're not careful—those lead to actions. Actions make you tired. I have this on rather good authority from someone who once read it in a book."
"You see the great thing about madness is that it's all in your head."
"… imaginary things were often the only items of real substance in people's lives."
"That could be solved," Siri said, "Perhaps it would help if you refrained from speaking when others are present. I think I should find you quite amiable in those circumstances."
"The motivations of men. They never make sense. And they always make sense."
"Every man is a hero in his own story, Princess."
"Of course not," she agreed, "You are nothing if not exhaustive in your self-congratulatory made-up logic."
"I have a headache" "You can't get headaches" "So you're fond of telling me."
"But expectations were like fine pottery. The harder you help them, the more likely they were to crack."
"“I didn’t say Tvlakv isn’t a bastard. He’s just a likable bastard.” He hesitated, then grimaced. “Those are the worst kind. When you kill them, you end up feeling guilty for it.”"
"“My circumstances are unusual, Brightness.” “Ignorance is hardly unusual, Miss Davar. The longer I live the more I come to realize that it is the natural state of the human mind. There are many who will strive to defend its sanctity and then expect you to be impressed with their efforts.”"
"Bitterness is repaid more often than kindness. One of his father’s sayings."
"The body needs many different foods to remain healthy. And the mind needs many different ideas to remain sharp. Wouldn’t you agree?"
"“Brightness…I believe you stray into sarcasm.” “Funny. I thought I’d run straight into it, screaming at the top of my lungs.”"
"They were not demons, they were just men who had too much power and not enough sense."
"“Who’s put these ideas in your head? Why would you want to learn to hit other boys with a stick?” “For honor, father,” Kal said. “Who tells stories about surgeons, for the Heralds’s sake!” “The children of the men and women whose lives we save,” Lirin said evenly, meeting Kal’s gaze. “That’s who tell stories of surgeons.”"
"The ardents who passed through town were careful to explain that the Calling of a farmer was a noble one, one of the highest save for the Calling of a soldier. Kal’s father whispered under his breath that he saw far more honor in feeding the kingdom than he did in fighting and dying in useless wars."
"What you said earlier is right; men are unreliable in many things. But if there’s one thing you can count on, it’s their greed."
"Men were not in command of their own religious paths; the priests control the doctrine, and few members of the Church were allowed to know theology. They were taught to follow the priests. Not the Almighty or the Heralds, but the priests."
"All I can say is this: I know something of what it is to be hunted by the death and destruction of war. I see in your father’s eyes much of what I have felt, but worse. My personal opinion is that the things he sees are more likely a reflection of his past than any mystical experience."
"But you always find people telling stories about supposedly better days. You watch. A man joins a new team of soldiers, and the first thing he’ll do is talk about how wonderful his old team was. We remember the good times and the bad ones, forgetting that most times are neither good nor bad. They just are."
"“The purpose of youth is to experience variety while it is still interesting.” She glanced at Dalinar. “It isn’t until we get older that we should be forced to be boring.”"
"A man’s emotions are what define him, and control is the hallmark of true strength. To lack feeling is to be dead, but to act on every feeling is to be a child."
"“Curious,” she said. “I will do my best to pretend there was sense in that. As an aside, has it ever struck you that most masculine arts deal with destroying, while feminine arts deal with creation?”"
"“Are you going to answer me? Why is it you trust my daughter so much when others almost universally revile her?” “I consider their disdain for her to be a recommendation,” he said. “She is a heretic.” “She refused to join any of the devotaries because she did not believe in their teachings. Rather than compromise for the sake of appearances, she has been honest and has refused to make professions she does not believe. I find that a sign of honor.” Navani snorted. “You two are a pair of nails in the same doorframe. Stern, hard, and storming annoying to pull free.”"
"Iriali were very particular about their chastity laws. They were very particular about a lot of things. Of course, that could be said for most peoples—the only difference were the things they were particular about."
"“To be honest, ‘arrogant’ doesn’t feel like quite the right word. It’s not specific enough.” “And what would be the right word, then?” “I don’t know. ‘Errorgant,’ perhaps.” Jasnah raised a skeptical eyebrow. “It means to be twice as certain as someone who is merely arrogant,” Shallan said, “while possessing only one-tenth the requisite facts.”"
"“The Assuredness Movement?” Shallan asked, holding up one of her books. “I guess I could get behind that.” “Oh?” “Yes. Much easier to stab it in the back from that position.”"
"Proof that one can be both intelligent and accept the intelligence of those who disagree with you? Why, I should think it would undermine the scholarly world in its entirety."
"I have found that youths like you have a relative lack of appreciation for the distant past."
"Never apologize for being clever, Shallan. It sets a bad precedent."
"Hence the purpose of education. To be young is about action. To be a scholar is about informed action."
"“Then you’ll forgive an old man’s curiosity?” “I always forgive curiosity, Your Majesty,” Jasnah said. “It strikes me as one of the most genuine of emotions.”"
"“I just don’t see how anything could be outside God’s decrees.” The king shook his head, bemused. “Brightness Jasnah, I don’t mean to argue but isn’t the very definition of the Almighty that all things exist because of him?” “If you add one and one, that makes two, does it not?” “Well, yes.” “No God needs to declare it so for it to be true, Jasnah said. “So, could we not say that mathematics exists outside the Almighty, independent of him?” “Perhaps.” “Well,” Jasnah said, “I simply claim that morality and human will are independent of him too.” “If you say that,” the king said, chuckling, “then you’ve removed all purpose for the Almighty’s existence!” “Indeed.”"
"“I do think that you ignored, or at least minimized, one vital part of the discussion.” “Which is?” Shallan tapped at her breast. “Our hearts, Brightness. I believe because I feel something, a closeness to the Almighty, a peace that comes when I live my faith.” “The mind is capable of projecting expected emotional responses.” “But didn’t you yourself argue that the way we act—the way we feel about right and wrong—was a defining attribute of our humanity? You used our innate morality to prove your point. So how can you discard my feelings?” “Discard them? No. Regard them with skepticism? Perhaps. Your feelings, Shallan--however powerful—are your own. Not mine. And what I feel is that spending my life trying to earn the favor of an unseen, unknown, and unknowable being who watches me from the sky is an exercise in sheer futility.”"
"I shouldn’t be so hard on our neighbors. They’re petty, yes, but it’s the pettiness of the ignorant. I’m not disgusted by them. I’m disgusted by the one who manipulates them."
"“She’s rarely vocal about her beliefs unless provoked.” “She’s ashamed, then.” “I doubt that. Merely considerate.”"
"“I never said that!” “Yes, but I pretended you did. Which is virtually the same thing.”"
"“I was thinking philosophy,” Jasnah said. Shallan blinked. “Philosophy? What good is that?” Isn’t it the art of saying nothing with as many words as possible? “Philosophy is an important field of study,” Jasnah said sternly. “Particularly if you’re going to be involved in court politics. The nature of morality must be considered, and preferably before one is exposed to situations where a moral decision is required.”"
"“When we are young,” Jasnah said, “we want simple answers. There is no greater indication of youth, perhaps, than the desire for everything to be as it should. As it has ever been.” Shallan frowned, still watching the men by the tavern over her shoulder. “The older we grow,” Jasnah said, “the more we question. We begin to ask why. And yet, we still want the answers to be simple. We assume that the people around us—adults, leaders—will have those answers. Whatever they give often satisfies us.” “I was never satisfied,” Shallan said softly. “I wanted more.” “You were mature,” Jasnah said. “What you describe happens to most of us, as we age. Indeed, it seems to me that aging, wisdom, and wondering are synonymous. The older we grow, the more likely we are to reject the simple answers. Unless someone gets in our way and demands they be accepted regardless.” Jasnah’s eyes narrowed. “You wonder why I reject the devotaries.” “I do.” “Most of them seek to stop the questions.”"
"My father is a man of passion and virtue. Just never at the same time."
"“You intrigue me, Shallan Davar.” She found her heart thumping. Oddly, a panic rose within her at the same time. “I shouldn’t be intriguing.” “Why not?” “Logic puzzles are intriguing. Mathematical computations can be intriguing. Political maneuvers are intriguing. But women…they should be nothing short of baffling.” “And what if I think I’m beginning to understand you?” “Then I’m at a severe disadvantage,” she said. “As I don’t understand myself.”"
"Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination."
"Death comes, they whispered. Death comes to all. But life comes first. Cherish it. Death is the destination. But the journey, that is life. That is what matters."
"“I’m a Veristitalian,” Jasnah said. “We search for answers in the past, reconstructing what truly happened. To many, writing a history is not about truth, but about presenting the most flattering picture of themselves and their motives. My sisters and I choose projects that we feel were misunderstood or misrepresented, and in studying them hope to better understand the present.”"
"“I thought you were a believer.” “I am. But just because I honor the Almighty doesn’t mean I’m going to accept any explanation, Kabsal. It might be religion, but it still has to make sense.”"
"“That’s horrible,” Kaladin said. “I doubt many would disagree. But I mention these horrors for a purpose. You see, it has been my experience that no matter where you go, you will find some who abuse their power.” He shrugged. “Eye color is not so odd a method, compared to many others I have seen. If you were to overthrow the lighteyes and place yourselves in power, Moash, I doubt that the world would be a very different place. The abuses would still happen. Simply to other people.”"
"He couldn’t give in to assuming he was cursed, or had bad luck, or whatever it was. Superstition never got a man anywhere. But he had to admit, the pattern was disturbing. If he acted as he always had before, how could he expect different results? He had to try something new. Change, somehow. This was going to take more thought."
"That man’s so incompetent he might as well be fighting for the other side."
"Embarrassment was worth escaping suspicion."
"“You search for truth,” Jasnah said, “but you also hold to your faith. There is much to admire in that. Seek out the Devotary of Sincerity. They are one of the very smallest of the devotaries, but this book is their guide.” “One with blank pages?” “Indeed. They worship the Almighty, but are guided by the belief that there are always more answers to be found. The book cannot be filled, as there is always something to learn. This devotary is a place where one is never penalized for questions, even those challenging Vorinism’s own tenets.”"
"“I hadn’t thought to find ardents who were willing to question their own beliefs.” Jasnah raised an eyebrow. “You will find wise men in any religion, Shallan, and good men in every nation. Those who truly seek wisdom are those who will acknowledge the virtue in their adversaries and who will learn from those who disabuse them of error. All others—heretic, Vorin, Ysperist, or Maakian—are equally close-minded.”"
"Let the Vorin believe as they wish—the wise among them will find goodness and solace in their faith; the fools would be fools no matter what they believed."
"Kabsal sighed. “Brightness Jasnah, I realize that you are not fond of me. But I am working very hard to be pleasant. Could you at least pretend to do likewise?”"
"“All conflicts are essentially economic in nature…Money is behind every war,” Au-nak continued. “Religion is but an excuse. Or perhaps a justification.”"
"A layer of skin, a layer of fat, a layer of muscle, a layer of bone. That was what men were."
"Kaladin turned to Moash. “Why do they treat us so, Moash? Because they know they should be better than they are. Because they see discipline in bridgemen, and it embarrasses them. Rather than bettering themselves, they take the easier road of jeering at us.”"
"“Why are you here? “Why am I here?” the man asked, lowering his flute, leaning back and relaxing. “Why are any of us here? That’s a rather deep question for a first meeting, young bridgeman. I generally prefer introductions before theology. Lunch too, if it can be found. Perhaps a nice nap. Actually, practically anything should come before theology. But especially introductions.”"
"“Saying confusing things isn’t the same as being witty.” “Ah,” the man said, eyes twinkling. “Already you prove yourself more wise than most who have been my acquaintance lately. What is it to be witty, then?” “To say clever things.” “And what is cleverness?” “I…” Why was he having this conversation? “I guess it’s the ability to say and do the right things at the right time.”"
"“Then I guess the story is a lie” “I didn’t say that.” “No, I said it. Fortunately, it’s the best kind of lie.” “And what kind is that?” “Why, the kind I tell, of course.”"
"The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon. Too often, we forget that."
"People see in stories what they’re looking for."
"Dalinar would have said that the outfits looked silly, but sometimes fashion was silly."
"If we had to rely on what we knew, kings would only be of use in creating laws regarding the proper heating of tea and cushioning of thrones."
"Yes, I could have traveled quickly. But all men have been the same ultimate destination. Whether we find our end in a hallowed sepulcher or a pauper’s ditch, all save the Heralds themselves must dine with the Nightwatcher."
"“Men in power always pretend things like virtue, or divine guidance, some kind of mandate to ‘protect’ the rest of us. If we believe that the Almighty put them were they are, it’s easier for us to swallow what they do to us.”"
"“Stories and legends, Teft,” Kaladin said. “We want to believe that there were better men once. That makes us think it could be that way again. But people don’t change. They are corrupt now. They were corrupt then.”"
"“We never lack men and women who wish to lead.” “True,” Dalinar said, “but we lack ones who are good at it.”"
"“I haven’t faith in people any longer, old friend,” Nohadon said. “Put two men together, and they will find something to argue about. Gather them into groups, and one group will find reason to oppress or attack another.”"
"At times, it seems to me that to be human is to want that which we cannot have. For some, this is power. For me, it is peace."
"“But you began something today.” “I began it?” he asked, amused, elated, confused, worried, and ashamed at the same time. “The kiss was yours, Dalinar,” she said idly, pulling open the door and entering his antechamber. “You seduced me to it.” “What? Seduced?” She glanced back at him. “Dalinar, I’ve never been more open and honest in my life.” “I know,” Dalinar said, smiling. “That was the seductive part.”"
"You know how he was. That force of will, that air of natural entitlement. It always seemed to surprise him when someone denied him or when the world itself didn’t do as he wished. He didn’t force me to defer—it was simply how life was."
"“There you go again.” “What?” “Feeling guilty. Dalinar, you are a wonderful, honorable man—but you really are quite prone to self-indulgence.” Guilt? As self-indulgence? “I never considered it that way before.”"
"Art was about creation. That was its soul, its essence. Creation and order. You took something disorganized—a splash of ink, an empty page—and you built something from it. Something from nothing. The soul of creation."
"I have spent too much of my time worrying about what people think, Navani. When I thought my time had arrived, I realized that all my worrying had been wasted. In the end, I was pleased with how I had lived my life."
"“You don’t know that for certain,” Teft said. “You don’t know for certain I don’t know for certain.”"
"That crazy man happened to have blue eyes, which let him get away with all kinds of trouble. Perhaps Wit should have been bemused by the stock these people put in something as simple as eye color, but he had been many places and seen many methods of rule. This didn’t seem any more ridiculous than most others."
"“And so,” he said, “in the end, what must we determine? Is it the intellect of a genius that we revere? If it were their artistry, the beauty of their mind, would we not laud it regardless of whether we’d seen their product before? “But we don’t. Given two works of artistic majesty, otherwise weighted equally, we will give greater acclaim to the one who did it first. It doesn’t matter what you create. It matters what you create before anyone else. “So it’s not the beauty itself we admire. It’s not the force of intellect. It’s not invention, aesthetics, or capacity itself. The greatest talent that we think a man can have?” He plucked one final string. “Seems to me that it must be nothing more than novelty.”"
"“This is the tiresome part of the feast, where the conversation grows louder but no smarter, and the company drunken.” “Many people consider that sort of thing enjoyable.” “Many people, unfortunately, are idiots.”"
"Nearly everything that happened had happened before. The grand lesson of history, and…"
"Do not make me kick you. I do not like kicking. It hurts my toes."
"Jasnah hadn’t cared what people thought of her, yet had always kept her appearance immaculate. Not that Jasnah had acted alluringly—never for a moment. In fact, she’d disparaged such behavior in no uncertain terms. Using a fetching face to make men do as you wish is no different from a man using muscle to force a woman to his will, she’d said. Both are base, and both will fail a person as they age. No, Jasnah had not approved of seduction as a tool. However, people responded differently to those who looked in control of themselves."
"His mother would probably lament how little Kaladin care for religious observance. The way Kaladin figured it, the Almighty didn’t show much concern for him, so why care back?"
"“Historians,” Shallan said, “are a bunch of liars.” “Mmmmm,” Pattern said, sounding satisfied. “That wasn’t a compliment.” “Oh.”"
"Pattern hummed. “Truth is individual.” “What? No it’s not. Truth is…it’s Truth. Reality.”"
"“Not so crude then, if it almost killed him.” “Pardon, Torol, but almost is a big distinction in assassinations.”"
"It wasn’t a lie. It was a different truth."
"They all ignored the truth stabbing them in the face."
"“We just need to be more optimistic.” “Being optimistic does not change facts.”"
"“You really don’t think highly of the others, do you?” Shallan asked. “I hate them,” Sebarial said. “But I try to hate everyone. That way, I don’t risk leaving out anyone who is particularly deserving. Anyway, here we are. Don’t expect me to help you out of the carriage.”"
"“If the afterlife really is a big war,” Kaladin said, then I hope I end up in Damnation. At least there I might be able to get a wink or two of sleep.”"
"“I know you do not mean this. Context allows me to infer what you truly mean. In a way, the very phrase is a lie.” “It’s not a lie,” Shallan said, “if everyone understands and knows what it means.” “Those are some of the best lies.”"
"That was the problem with sneaking about. If nothing seemed to have gone wrong, you rarely knew if it was because you were safe, or if someone had spotted you and just hadn’t done anything. Yet."
"“I ain’t grouchy,” Teft snapped. “I just have a low threshold for stupidity.”"
"“Hmmm. Someone has a high opinion of himself. Comes with being royalty, I suppose. Like funny hats and a fondness for beheadings.”"
"“Where is he?” “Doing things he finds very important. I would fault him for it, as I find nothing more frightening than a man trying to do what he has decided is important. Very little in the world has ever gone astray—at least on a grand scale—because a person decided to be frivolous.”"
"To be human is to seek beauty."
"“The men are happy.” “And you?” “Bored. All we do every day is sit around, collect what you pay us, and go drinking.” “Most men would consider that an ideal profession.” She smiled at En, then climbed into the coach. Vathah shut the door for her, then looked in the window. “Most men are idiots.”"
"She’d had so much more time when she was younger. She couldn’t help thinking she’d wasted much of it."
"She let the world consume her. The familiar sound of pencil on paper, the focus of creation. Beauty was out there, all around. To create art was not to capture it, but to participate in it."
"“Storms,” she breathed. “Those are all different kinds of wine?” “Yeah,” Adolin said. He leaned toward her, as if conspiratorial. “Honestly, I don’t pay a lot of attention. Renarin knows the difference between them—he’ll drone on if you let him. Me, I order something that sounds important, but I’m really just choosing based on color.”"
"Shallan smiled at the wonderful surroundings, the light rainfall, the beautiful plant life. A little dampness was a small price to pay for the melodious sound of sprinkling rain, for fresh clean air and a beautiful sky full of clouds that varied in every shade of grey."
"Better to be overly cautious than naive."
"“That was a joke, bridgeboy.” “My mistake. I was under the impression that jokes were supposed to be funny.” “Only to people with a sense of humor.” “Ah, of course,” Kaladin said. “I traded in my sense of humor long ago.” “And what did you get for it?” “Scars,” Kaladin said softly."
"“I am a soldier, not a musician,” Kaladin said. “Besides, music is for women.” “All people are musicians,” Wit countered. “The question is whether or not they share their songs. As for music being feminine, it’s interesting that the woman who wrote that treatise—the one you all practically worship in Alethkar—decided that all of the feminine tasks involve sitting around having fun while all the masculine ones involve finding someone to stick a spear in you. Telling, eh?”"
"“What do you know?” “Almost everything. That almost part can be a real kick in the teeth sometimes.” “What do you want, then?” “What I can’t have.” Wit turned to him, eyes solemn. “Same as everyone else.”"
"“I know full well how to have a good time.” “Is that so?” “Yes. It involves being anywhere you aren’t.”"
"Adeline placed the glyphward in the brazier, then bowed his head as it burned. A prayer to the Almighty for aid. His combatants for the day would probably be burning their own prayers. How did the Almighty decide whom to help?"
"The difference between a successful thief and a dead thief is knowing when to escape with your takings."
"“Someone has to care,” she said, starting down the hallway. “Too few people care, these days.” “You say this while coming in to rob people.” “Sure. Ain’t gonna hurt them.” “You have an odd sense of morality, mistress.” “Don’t be stupid,” she said. “Every sense of morality is odd.”"
"All stories have been told before. We tell them to ourselves, as did all men who ever were. And all men who ever will be. The only things new are the names."
"“The storm caught him,” Kaladin said. “The storm catches everyone, eventually. Does it matter?” “I don’t know.” “Good.” Wit tipped his sword up toward his forehead, as if in respect. “Then you have something to think about.”"
"To be human was often to be forced to choose between distasteful options."
"“When did you get so peppy?” she shouted. “Ever since I assumed I was dead, then I suddenly wasn’t.” “Then remind me to try to kill you once in a while,” she snapped. “If I succeed, it will make me feel better, and if I fail, it will make you feel better. Everyone wins!”"
"To age truly was to suffer the ultimate treason, that of one’s body against oneself."
"“‘Honor’ is a word applied to the actions of men from the past who have had their lives scrubbed clean by historians.”"
"Jasnah had once defined a fool as a person who ignored information because it disagreed with desired results."
"“I have to protect him,” Kaladin whispered. Why? “If I protect …” He coughed. “If I protect…only the people I like, it means that I don’t care about doing what is right.” If he did that, he only cared about what was convenient for himself. That wasn’t protecting. That was selfishness."
"I watched you keep your word with perfection. This is a thing lost to most people—it is the only genuine beauty in the world."
"“That makes no sense.” “Of course it makes sense,” Gawx said. “It’s government.”"
"You couldn’t live your life getting up and seeing the same things every day. You had to keep moving, otherwise people started to know who you were, and then they started to expect things from you. It was one step from there to being gobbled up."
"“So now you’re normal.” “Course I am,” she said. “It’s everyone else that’s weird.”"
"“But profiting off people’s emotions?” “Pity can be a powerful tool. Anytime you can make someone else feel something, you’ve got power over them.”"
"“You seem to have found purpose in talkin’ a whole bunch,” Lift said. “Without being helpful to nobody.”"
"Too few people listened to anything other than their own thoughts."
"She didn’t exactly understand what she was doing, but she rarely did. Art wasn’t about understanding, but about knowing."
"Expensive, yes. But by definition, therefore, not priceless."
"Within moments he was roaring his pleasure. Nothing these men did could touch him. He was a destroyer, a conqueror, a glorious maelstrom of death. A god."
"“You can’t civilize war,” Dalinar said. “There’s no painting it up and making it pretty.”"
"She felt like drawing this scene, but knew it was the type of moment she couldn’t capture on a page. It wasn’t about content or composition, but the pleasure of living. The trick to happiness wasn’t in freezing every momentary pleasure and clinging to each one, but in ensuring one’s life would produce many future moments to anticipate."
"Oh, Adolin, Shallan thought. He’d arrived at a theory he liked, and now wouldn’t let it go. It was a common mistake warned of in her scientific books."
"“Falsehoods serve nobody, Kadash,” Dalinar said, pulling back. “If the Almighty is dead, then pretending otherwise is pure stupidity. We need real hope, not faith in lies.”"
"But merely being tradition does not make some thing worthy, Kadash. We can’t just assume that because some thing is old it is right."
"“They all stretched farther and farther until they collapsed. In all the history of mankind, has any conqueror decided they had enough? Has any man just said, ‘This is good. This is what I wanted,’ and gone home?”"
"“Morality is an axis that doesn’t interest us,” Mraize said calmly. “Only loyalty and power are relevant, for morality is as ephemeral as the changing weather. It depends upon the angle from which you view it.”"
"“Don’t deflect your evils by pointing out the faults of others,” Shallan said."
"Politics is involved, Adolin—so by definition it can’t be easy."
"His sincerity was so unexpected. Dalinar had been around Alethi politicians so much that he found honesty an obscure thing, like a language he no longer spoke."
"Dalinar bowed his head for a prayer. Let me be stronger than those who would kill me. Simple and to the point, the kind he figured the Almighty would prefer."
"Curious, how quickly tyrants grow religious. It must that be convenient to tell yourself that your murders belong to the Almighty instead."
"Morality is not a thing you can simply doff to put on the helm of battle, then put back on when you’re done with the slaughter."
"He needed more than vague explanations and abstract ideas—but those were the very soul of art. If you could explain something perfectly, then you’d never need art. That was the difference between a table and a beautiful woodcutting. You could explain the table: its purpose, its shape, its nature. The woodcutting you simply had to experience."
"I’d hoped…I’d hoped you could tell me, give me an absolute right. For once, I’d like my moral code not to come with a list of exceptions at the end."
"But you should try to understand what they want out of life, and respect that, rather than projecting onto them what you think they should want out of life."
"You are a man with complicated beliefs, who does not accept everything you are told. You decide how you are defined. Don’t surrender that to them. They will gleefully take the chance to define you, if you allow it."
"Who would have thought that bearing an ancient, divine mantle of power and honor would involve so many meetings?"
"In my painful experience, the truth may be simple, but it is rarely easy."
"Jasnah couldn’t help but smile. For over a decade, she’d dreamed of uniting the best minds of the kingdom in a coordinated effort. She’d been ignored; all anyone had wanted to discuss was her lack of belief in their god. Well, they were focused now. Turned out the end of the world had to actually arrive before people would take it seriously."
"“Why, Jasnah? Why have you always denied me?” “Other than the fact that you are a detestable buffoon who achieves only the lowest level of mediocrity, as it is the best your limited mind can imagine? I can’t possibly think of a reason.”"
"Every army needed someone to run at the front and soak up arrows."
"It was a frantic, insane brawl for power."
"“That guy,” a girl’s voice said, “is creepy.”… “I mean, old men are all creepy, Lift said. “Seriously. All wrinkly and ‘Hey, want some sweets?’ and ‘Oh, listen to this boring story.’ I’m on to them. They can act nice all they want, but nobody gets old without ruining a whole buncha lives.”"
"Taravangian did not believe in any religion, for they were unwieldy things, designed to fill gaps in human understanding with nonsensical explanations, allowing people to sleep well at night, granting them a false sense of comfort and control and preventing them from stretching further for true understanding."
"Fine? All right? Now leave me alone. You’re stinking up the place with an air of contented idiocy."
"Most cities lived on the very edge of civilization. Everyone talked about towns and villages out in the middle of nowhere as if they were uncivilized, but she’d found people in those places pleasant, even-tempered, and comfortable with their quieter way of life. Not in cities. Cities balanced on the edge of sustainability, always one step from starvation. When you pressed so may people together, their cultures, ideas, and stenches rubbed off on one another. The results wasn’t civilization. It was contained chaos, pressurized, bottled up so it couldn’t escape."
"They were too theatrical—and there were too many of them—for all to be truly deranged. This was a fad. A way of dealing with unexpected events and giving some shape to lives that had been turned upside down. That didn’t mean they weren’t dangerous. A group of people all trying to impress one another was always more dangerous than the lone psychopath."
"It was gratifying to see how much one could accomplish in both politics and trade by liberally murdering the other fellow’s soldiers."
"“I…don’t feel like I’ve won.…” “Welcome to war, Evi,” Dalinar said, heading toward the door. “There are no unequivocal wins. Just victories that leave fewer of your friends dead than others.”"
"“Child, when they were but babes, I had already lived dozens of lifetimes. ‘Old’ is a word you use for worn shoes. I’m something else entirely.”"
"“Be careful. People who aren’t me are prone to spontaneous bouts of sincerity.” “Which is bad?” “Of course! ‘Sincerity’ is a word people use to justify their chronic dullness.” “Well, I like sincere people,” Shallan said, raising her cup. “It’s delightful how surprised they look when you push them down the stairs.” “Now, that’s unkind. You shouldn’t push people down the stairs for being sincere. You push people down the stairs for being stupid.” “What if they’re sincere and stupid?” “Then you run.”"
"“What’s the point of goals, if not to spur you to something lofty?” “Yes, yes. Aim for the sun. That way if you miss, at least your arrow will fall far away, and the person it kills will likely be someone you don’t know.”"
"These are the men…well, these are the men who actually change the world. And they terrify me. For men never see as far as they think they do."
"“You make it sound like having the power to change the world is a bad thing.” “Bad? No. Abhorrent, depressing, ghastly. Having power is a terrible burden, the worst thing imaginable, except for every other alternative.”"
"“Power is a knife,” Wit said, taking his seat. “A terrible, dangerous knife that can’t be wielded without cutting yourself. We joked about stupidity, but in reality most people aren’t stupid. Many are simply frustrated at how little control they have over their lives. They lash out. Sometimes in spectacular ways…”"
"An army was the sort of thing everyone wanted to have, so long as it was off doing important things elsewhere."
"“I used to take the terrible things that had happened to me,” he said, “as proof that there was no god. Then in some of my darkest moments, I took my life as proof there must be something up there, for only intentional cruelty could offer an explanation.”"
"“Funny, isn’t it, how so many of our stories start the same way, but have opposing endings? In half, the child ignores her parents, wanders out into the woods, and gets eaten. In the other half she discovers great wonders. There aren’t many stories about the kids who say, ‘Yes, I shall not go into the forest. I’m glad my parents explained that is where the monsters live.’”"
"“You’re not a monster, Shallan,” Wit whispered. “Oh, child. The world is monstrous at times, and there are those who would have you believe that you are terrible by association.” “I am.” “No. For you see, it flows the other direction. You are not worse for your association with the world, but it is better for its association with you.”"
"That was the coward’s route. Wishing for ignorance."
"Being a human was about making sense of chaos, finding meaning among the random elements of the world."
"“Where’s your sense of adventure?” “I dragged it out back and clubbed it senseless for getting me into the army.”"
"“That was rude.” “Rudeness doesn’t imply untruth though.”"
"Kaladin had never had much time for art. Either the picture depicted something useful—like a map—or it was basically pointless."
"Sometimes, a hypocrite is nothing more than a man who is in the process of changing."
"Order was the very substance of rule. If things were organized, control could be asserted."
"New recruits might get bored by guard duty, but you’ll never find a veteran complaining about a nice quiet afternoon of not being stabbed."
"The best indication of what human beings will do is not what they think, but what the record says similar groups have done in the past."
"“‘The question,’ she replied, ‘is not whether you will love, hurt, dream, and die. It is what' you will love, why you will hurt, when you will dream, and "how you will die. This is your choice. You cannot pick the destination, only the path.’”"
"All life worked in concert, he’d been taught in his youth. Everything but men, who refused their place. Who destroyed instead of added."
"“Don’t you care?” “About a man I don’t know?” Azure said. “In danger from a threat you can’t define, happening at a time you can’t pinpoint?” She folded her arms. “Forgive me for not sharing in your anxiety.”"
"“When has any tyrant ever said to himself, ‘This is enough’?”"
"Who cares what your ancestors did, when the enemy is trying to kill you right now?"
"“Be wary,” Shallan whispered, “of anyone who claims to be able to see the future.”"
"Some problems could not be fixed with a lie."
"The most important step a man can take. It’s not the first one, is it? It’s the next one."
"You could not arrive at excellence by the average of these people. Excellence was an individual quest, not a group effort."
"It becomes the responsibility of every man, upon realizing he lacks the truth to seek it out."
"The sea was so open, so welcoming. Pay her a little respect, and she would carry you anywhere you wished to go. She’d even feed you along the way and lull you to sleep with her songs at night."
"The sea was a strange mistress indeed. Open. Welcoming. Inviting. Sometimes a little too much so."
"All so different. He figured, sure, that people must be like mountains. See, when you were far away from mountains, they all basically looked the same. Fly up high, soar over them in a hurry, and there was no time for detail. Pointed. Covered in snow. Mountain. Got it. Fly up close, and they each had their own distinctive jagged bits and places where the rock showed through. He’d even found flowers growing on a few, near vents that let out warm air. The problem with people was that everyone saw other nations from far away. Saw them as big mountainous blobs. Foreigners. Strange. Got it. Up close, it was hard to see people that way. Each was so distinctive."
"Up close, differences could chafe. But if you remembered that from far away you all looked the same…well, that was important too."
"“It’s politics. The annoying kind.” “There’s another kind?”"
"“Vstim is good and honest,” Rysn said. “You don’t get a reputation for either without some people seeing your nature as an opportunity.”"
"“You are…very strange.” “Excellent.” “Very much strange.” “Says the woman who likes to munch on weeds,” Lopen said. “That’s not food, misra, it’s what food eats.”"
"That was the thing about omens—they were made up. Imagined signals of something nebulous. So why not make them up to be something positive?"
"Well, not on Lopen’s watch. You didn’t let your friends drown in nameless oceans during a frigid storm. That was, sure, basic friendship rules right there."
"“So…why make these? Why set this place up to appear so rich?” “I’m wondering the same thing,” Rushu said. “They wanted to wow us, maybe?” Lopen said. “Perhaps they thought we’d be so distracted by the riches that we’d be stunned and confused. They did not know that I am accustomed to such incredible sights, for I experience something even more impressive each morning after I awake.” “Is that so?” “When I look in the mirror.” “And you wonder why you’re still single.” “Oh, I don’t wonder,” he said. “I’m fully aware that so much of me is difficult for any one woman to handle. My majesty confuses them. It’s the only explanation for why they often run away.” He gave her a grin."
"Hey, have you heard about the time I saved Huio from being swallowed? Oh yes. He was going to get eaten. By a monster uglier than the women he courts. And I flew into the thing’s mouth to save him. Off the tongue. Then I was very humble about having done such a heroic deed."
"You would become the things you pretend to defend against."
"Words on the page define men to future generations."
"“Do you think you can take the truth?” “Try for once. It would be refreshing.”"
"These are not the actions of greatness. You are no scholar. You merely like being near them. You are no artifabrian. You are merely a woman who likes trinkets. You have no fame, accomplishment, or capacity of your own. Everything distinctive about you came from someone else. You have no power—you merely like to marry men who have it."
"Heroism is a myth you tell idealistic young people—specifically when you want them to go bleed for you."
"The fact that these had thrown their lives away so wantonly did not speak highly of their master."
"A good lie, the delicious kind, hinted at hidden grandeur or further secrets. This was instead the lie of a drunken has-been at the bar, trying to drum up enough pity to get a free drink. It was more pathetic than interesting."
"“Do you believe?” Kaladin asked as he advanced. “In God, or the Almighty or whatever?” “I don’t have to believe,” the voice drifted back. “I know gods exist. I simply hate them.”"
"That’s the trouble with science. It’s never done. Always upending itself. Ruining perfect systems for the little inconvenience of them being wrong."
"Would you prefer a reinforcement of what you already want to believe, or do you seek the truth?"
"She had been around enough intelligent people to know they worked best in an encouraging environment where study and discovery were rewarded."
"Navani wasn’t certain what to think about how easily it had happened. It was nice to make headway; yet in her experience, a fair breeze one day was the herald of a tempest to come."
"I wasn’t thinking straight, Veil thought. That’s kind of the point of drinking.…"
"“It wouldn’t be polite for me to interrupt,” Notum said. “Please continue your insane rant.”"
"“No one ever accomplished anything by being content with who they were, Shallan,” Adolin said. “We accomplish great things by reaching toward who we could become.” “As long as it’s what you want to become. Not what someone else thinks you should become.”"
"“Must be nice,” Adolin said, patting the horse, “to not have to worry about things like politics or relationships.” The horse snorted in a way that Adolin thought was distinctly dismissive. Well, perhaps there was more to complicate a horse’s life than a man could ever see."
"If there is one thing I can guarantee you about humankind, Last Listener, is is this: Provide them with a sword , and they will find a way to impale themselves upon it.”"
"I’m not using a key at all. I’m breaking the lock."
"“I’m telling you to think!” his father snapped. “I’m telling you that if you want to change the world, you have to stop being part of the problem!”"
"“We need both heart and mind,” Lirin said. “The heart might provide the purpose, but the head provides the method, the path. Passion is nothing without a plan. Wanting something doesn’t make it happen.”"
"A thousand wrong plans were no more useful that a single wrong one."
"Alone in the darkness, standing with his back to the wall, facing overwhelming numbers. A glorious way to die, but Kaladin didn’t want glory. He’d given up on that foolish dream as a child."
"And she would ask the best question of them all. What will I discover next?"
"Wit dropped his bloody handkerchief before Ruthar. “How remarkable,” he said. “If you spend your life knocking people down, you eventually find they won’t stand up for you. There’s poetry in that, don’t you think, you storming personification of a cancerous anal discharge?”"
"Eventually Dalinar had done what any good commander did when faced by such persistent mass insubordination: He backed down. When good men disobeyed, it was time to look at your orders."
"Any information—even if you suspect your enemy is feeding it to you—is useful, son. More wars are lost to lack of information than are lost to lack of courage."
"We must not let our desires for a specific result cloud our perceptions."
"It’s too easy to forget the cost not only to the boys who die, but to the ones who live. Every commander should be reminded periodically."
"The man who forges weapons can claim he’s never killed, but he still prepares for the slaughter."
"She knew she shouldn’t let the lack of results bother her. Real scientists understood that experiments like this weren’t failures; they were necessary steps on the way to discovery."
"You don’t get to choose to be free, Venli. Just which master to follow."
"“We proved nothing,” Navani said. “We had a single failed experiment.”"
"The trouble wasn’t getting answers. It was finding the presence of mind to accept them."
"“Nothing is real,” Wit said. “At least by one measure of philosophy. So enjoy what you seem to be able to eat and don’t complain.”"
"“Your stories always have a point,” Kaladin said. “I am an artist,” Wit said. “I should thank you not to demean me by insisting my art must be trying to accomplish something. In fact, you shouldn’t enjoy art. You should simply admit that it exists, then move on. Anything else is patronizing.”"
"“You like irony now too?” “Irony tastes good. Like sausage.”"
"True freedom—with the power to make certain she didn’t ever have to be dependent upon anyone else, listener or spren. True freedom couldn’t exist while someone else had power over you."
"“Innocence is more false a god than the ones in our songs,” Venli said, sitting beside her sister. “People who chase it will find themselves enslaved.”"
"Those gods had never deserved reverence. What was a god who only made demands? Nothing but a tyrant with a different name."
"In her little room of a laboratory, everything fit together. She’d met scholars who claimed they needed chaos to function. Perhaps that was true for some, but in her experience, good science wasn’t about sloppy inspiration. It was about meticulous incrementalization."
"I name you idiot for playing with powers you only presume to understand."
"And storm Teft if it wasn’t a valid question. One not enough soldiers asked themselves. Right here, right now, should I be fighting? Is there a better way?"
"Mathematics thought that there were numbers associated with tones—frequencies, wavelengths. Music, at its most fundamental level, was math."
"He grinned, then kissed her hand again. He seemed to think that sort of thing would eventually spark passion in her. When in truth, physical stimulation was so inferior to mental stimulation."
"“The way you talk lacks hope.” “‘Hope,’” she said, spreading her papers out on the table. “Have I ever told you how much I dislike that word? Think of what it means, what it implies. You have hope when you’re outnumbered. You have hope when you lack options. Hope is always irrational, Uncle.”"
"Who did she think was listening? Was she only praying because she was afraid? Yes, she thought, continuing to paint. I’m afraid. And I have to hope that someone, somewhere, is listening. That someone has a plan. That it all matters somehow. Jasnah took comfort in the idea that there was no plan, that everything was random. She said that a chaotic universe meant the only actions of actual importance were the ones they decided were important. That gave people autonomy."
"“You run like a coward.” “Every good sergeant is a coward! And proud of it! Someone needs to talk sense to the officers!”"
"War was a masculine art, but when you started attacking women, you’d stopped engaging in war. You deserved anything that happened to you after that point."
"So Ishar was a butcher, a mad surgeon as well as a crazed theocrat. For some reason, that relieved Dalinar. It was disgusting, but this was an ordinary kind of evil. He’d expected something worse."
"All this time, he’s been asking what a god could possibly fear, but the answer was obvious. Odium feared men who would not obey him."
"Her lack of interest might have been interpreted as a lack of caring, but it was only a side effect of permanent exhaustion."
"Sometimes, everyone is right. Not always and not even usually, but once in a while, everyone is right."
"“What was it like?” Zeke asked, changing the subject as much as he was willing to. “Fighting in the war, I mean?” He grumbled, “It was war, you dumb kid. Everybody I liked got killed, and most of the folks I'd just as soon have shot made it out with medals on their chests. It wasn’t fair and it sure as hell wasn’t any fun. And Jesus knows it’s been going on way too long.”"
"“You're an idiot,” Lucy said. “Just ’cause you don’t understand them don’t mean they’re out to get you.”"
"You're a smart boy. Or if you're not, you ought to be."
"He’s not the first man I'd like to kill down here, but I was willing to work him onto the list."
"Either do the fucking thing and shut the fuck up, or fucking just shut the fuck up."
"A fundamental problem with arguments from analogy is the assumption that, because some aspects of A are similar to B, other aspects of A are similar to B. It ain’t necessarily so."
"There are complications. The first is, how can we be sure what God really thinks? Fundamentalists have that one covered: Scripture says so. But how did the people in Scripture know the signals they were getting were really from God? Abraham thought he was called by God to sacrifice his son on the altar. Abraham figures, “If God says so, I’d better do it.” Our first philosophical query to Abraham is, “What around you, nuts? You hear ‘God” tell you to do a crazy thing, and you don’t even ask for identification?”"
"Another problem with following Divine Law is interpretation. What exactly qualifies as honoring thy father and mother?"
"The agnostic is one step short of an atheist, who considers the case against the existence of God closed. If both of them came across a burning bush saying, “I am that I am,” the agnostic would start looking for the hidden tape recorder, but the atheist would just shrug and reach for his marshmallows."
"In theology, schisms have opened over such pressing issues as, “Does the Spirit proceed from the Father or from the Father and the Son?” The layperson clearly needs a simple guide to theological differences and, thank God, the comedians are always willing to oblige."
"Another way to differentiate denominations is according to what behavior qualifies someone for a divine dressing-down. For Catholics, it’s missing Mass. For Baptists, it’s dancing. For Episcopalians, it’s eating your salad with your dessert fork."
"The bottom line is that the values we think are timeless and absolute are really in constant historical flux relative to who has power and how it gets used."
"Many of these fallacies, formal and informal, were identified by Aristotle nearly twenty-five hundred years ago. Has that stopped politicians from using them? On the contrary, they’ve treated them as formal and informal strategies!"
"Any political commentator worthy of having his own program on Fox News knows that when it comes to hiding the truth, burial is a nifty option. Why risk a blatant, in-your-face fib when a questionable assumption buried in a seemingly logical argument might slip right by the listener?"
"A perennial favorite hidden assumption is that something is morally right because it is “natural,” the way Mother Nature intended it."
"It is often said that all of life is high school—over and over again. But we beg to differ, at least when it comes to political rhetoric, where a good part of life is grade school."
"The excuse of “God made me do it”—as both a principle of action and an excuse for it—declined after Genghis, replaced by “the devil made me do it.” In both cases, personal moral responsibility was nullified, so it was just a hop, skip, and jump to “My unconscious drives made me do it,” a.k.a. the insanity defense. What is striking about all three Über-motivators is that they almost exclusively make us do criminal acts. As one comedian quipped, “Have you ever heard anyone cry, ‘God made me trim the hedges!’”"
"Cum hoc and post hoc arguments so much of their appeal to our fanciful/poetic sides, which, from a strict philosopher’s point of view, are our pudding-headed sides."
"The clear implication of the term is that this self-evidence is evident to everyone who is paying attention. But you don’t need to be an epistemologist to realize that one person’s “self evident” is another person’s “huh??” Our local shaman finds it self-evident that there are multicolored pixies fluttering around our heads. We are willing to accept that said pixies are evident to his self; they just don’t happen to be evident to ours."
"How does conventional wisdom become conventional? As Stewart informs us, it usually starts with talking points. Party A decides how it wants us to think about the candidates of Party B and then sets out to get their unflattering labels repeated so often in the media that they stick in our minds. The media cooperate because it gives them a hook for their stories. And we, the public, are only too glad to latch onto these labels, because they are so catchy. And more significantly, it’s way easier than thinking."
"One criterion to bear in mind when choosing a religion is where its particular afterlife is being held."
"The monitor confirmed cardiac arrest as an elderly man suddenly lost consciousness. After about twenty seconds of resuscitation, he came to. Explaining to him that his heart had momentarily stopped, the doctor asked if he remembered anything unusual during that time. “I saw a bright light,” he said, “and in front of me a man dressed in white. Excitedly, the doctor asked if he could describe the figure. “Sure, Doc,” he replied. “It was you.”"
"But in the 1870s, weirdness was in the air."
"Lost in discussions of séances is any consideration for the dead respondents. Why do they have to appear on demand? Might they not have busy schedules too? Aren’t they at least entitled to caller ID?"
"Now some philosophers, and I’m not mentioning any names—mostly because I can’t pronounce them—try to hide the fact that they feel their way to the Big Answers just like the rest of us do. They spin out all kinds of fancy, impersonal reasons for coming to their conclusions, but the way they really got there is they trusted their gut in the first place, just like the rest of us. But because they wanted an impressive philosophy that matched what they felt in their guts, they constructed it out of their heads. And here’s where they got a little sneaky, for my money: they kinda cherry-picked the universe for evidence that backed up what their gut told them to start with, and they ignored anything that didn’t jibe with it."