"Power resides where men believe it resides. No more and no less." "So power is a mummer's trick?" "A shadow on the wall," Varys murmured, "yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow."

"For men the answer was always the same, and never farther away than the nearest sword. For a woman, a mother, the answer was stonier and harder."

"Darkness was a chancy ally at best."

"“Tell me, Bronn. If I told you to kill a babe . . . an infant girl, say, still at her mother’s breast . . . would you do it? Without question?” “Without question? No.” The sellsword rubbed thumb and forefinger together. “I'd ask how much.”"

"Do you always smell so bad, or did you just finish fucking a pig?"

"Can a whore truly love anyone, I wonder?"

"But now there were only a hundred men left to guard a thousand doors, and no one seemed to know who should be where, nor care much."

"Catelyn was finding that kings do not listen half so attentively as sons."

"Some men want whores on the eve of battle, and some want gods. Jon wondered who felt better afterward."

"“He’ll want what kings always want,” she said. “Homage.”"

"The morning air was dark with the smoke of burning gods."

"My first rule of war, Cat—never give the enemy his wish."

"“What will you do when he crosses?” “Fight. Kill. Die, maybe.” “Aren’t you afraid? The gods might send you down to some terrible hell for all the evil you've done.” “What evil?” He laughed. “What gods?” “The gods who made us all.” “All?” he mocked. “Tell me, little bird, what kind of god makes a monster like the Imp, or a halfwit like Lady Tanda’s daughter? If there are gods, they made sheep so wolves could eat mutton, and they made the weak for the strong to play with.” “True knights protect the weak.” He snorted. “There are no true knights, no more than there are gods. If you can’t protect yourself, die and get out of the way of those who can. Sharp steel and strong arms rule this world, don’t ever believe any different.” Sansa backed away from him. “You're awful.” “I'm honest. It’s the world that’s awful.”"

"The mountain is your mother ... Cling to her, press her face up against your teats, and she won't drop you."

"I hear all sorts of things as a fool that I never heard when I was a knight."

"Only cowards kill the vanquished"

"I'm terrified of my enemies, so I kill them all."

"When a pirate grows rich enough, they make him a prince."

"A woman's life is nine parts mess to one part magic ... and the parts that look like magic often turn out to be the messiest of all."

"“I’ll have the boy.” ... “You’ll have no one,” Yoren said stubbornly. “There’s laws on such things.” The gold cloak drew a shortsword. “Here’s your law.” Yoren looked at the blade. “That’s no law, just a sword. Happens I got one too.”"

"In formal battle, discipline is more important than courage."

"Some of the living swam, some of the dead floated; the ones in heavy mail and plate sank to the bottom, the quick and the dead alike."

"I told you what needed to be done, and left it to you to decide what it would be ... To lead men you must know them, Jon Snow. I know more of you now than I did this morning."

"If there is food I eat it, in case there is none on the morrow."

"Some battles are won with swords and spears, others with quills and ravens."

"There's no shame in fear, my father told me, what matters is how we face it."

"A man agrees with god as a raindrop with the storm."

"A dead enemy is a joy forever."

"The only way to keep people loyal is to make sure they fear you more than the enemy."

"Tears," she said scornfully as the woman was led from the hall. "The woman's weapon, my lady mother used to call them. The man's weapon is a sword. And that tells us all you need to know, doesn't it?"

"After the madness of battle, soldiers often seem to want flesh more than coin."

"Thirst, hunger, exposure. These were his companions, with him every hour of every day, and he had come to think of them as his friends."

"The world preferred to forget that men who knew how to heal also knew how to kill."

"When it comes to swords, a queen is only a woman after all."

"Drink ... Perhaps it will give you the courage to deal with truth for a change."

"The Watch needs good men" he told them as they set out, "but you lot will have to do."

"Prince Tommen was not so obedient. “I’m supposed to ride against the straw man.”“Not today.”“But I want to ride!”“I don’t care what you want.”“Mother said I could ride.” “She said,” Princess Myrcella agreed. “Mother said,” mocked the king. “Don’t be childish.” “We’re children,” Myrcella declared haughtily. “We’re supposed to be childish.”The Hound laughed. “She has you there.”"

"Many called her beautiful. She was not beautiful. She was red, and terrible, and red."

"Surrounded by a circle of Velaryon spearmen, they fought back to back, they made battle as graceful as a dance."

"A man who fights for coin is loyal only to his purse."

"It is no good hammering your sword into a plowshare if you must forge it again on the morrow."

"Won't your guards protect us?" "And who will protect us from my guards? Loyal sellswords are rare as virgin whores ... Do you have any notion what happens when a city is sacked, Sansa? No, you wouldn't, would you? All you know of life you learned from singers, and there's such a dearth of good sacking songs."

"So easy, he remembered thinking. '"A king should die harder than this.""

"Is it so far from madness to wisdom?"

"I went to the warlocks hoping for answers, but instead they've left me with a hundred new questions."

"Crowns do queer things to the heads beneath them."

"You should have learned by now, none of us get the things we want."

"Tell me, Lord Eddard ... why is it always the innocents who suffer most, when you high lords play your game of thrones?"

"In life, the monsters win."