Novelists From The United States

"She’d had so much more time when she was younger. She couldn’t help thinking she’d wasted much of it."

"“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.”"

"To be human is to seek beauty."

"“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.”"

"“Hmmm. Someone has a high opinion of himself. Comes with being royalty, I suppose. Like funny hats and a fondness for beheadings.”"

"“I ain’t grouchy,” Teft snapped. “I just have a low threshold for stupidity.”"

"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 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.”"

"“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.”"

"“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.”"

"“We just need to be more optimistic.” “Being optimistic does not change facts.”"

"They all ignored the truth stabbing them in the face."

"It wasn’t a lie. It was a different truth."

"“Not so crude then, if it almost killed him.” “Pardon, Torol, but almost is a big distinction in assassinations.”"

"Pattern hummed. “Truth is individual.” “What? No it’s not. Truth is…it’s Truth. Reality.”"

"“Historians,” Shallan said, “are a bunch of liars.” “Mmmmm,” Pattern said, sounding satisfied. “That wasn’t a compliment.” “Oh.”"

"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?"

"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."

"Do not make me kick you. I do not like kicking. It hurts my toes."

"Nearly everything that happened had happened before. The grand lesson of history, and…"

"“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.”"

"“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.”"

"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."

"“You don’t know that for certain,” Teft said. “You don’t know for certain I don’t know for certain.”"

"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."

"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."

"“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.”"

"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."

"“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.”"

"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."

"“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.”"

"“We never lack men and women who wish to lead.” “True,” Dalinar said, “but we lack ones who are good at it.”"

"“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.”"

"“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.”"

"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."

"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."

"Dalinar would have said that the outfits looked silly, but sometimes fashion was silly."

"People see in stories what they’re looking for."

"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."

"“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.”"

"“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.”"

"“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.”"

"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.”"

"A layer of skin, a layer of fat, a layer of muscle, a layer of bone. That was what men were."

"“All conflicts are essentially economic in nature…Money is behind every war,” Au-nak continued. “Religion is but an excuse. Or perhaps a justification.”"

"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?”"

"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."

"“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.”"

"“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.”"

"Embarrassment was worth escaping suspicion."