"“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.”"

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"“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.”"

"They were not demons, they were just men who had too much power and not enough sense."

"“Brightness…I believe you stray into sarcasm.” “Funny. I thought I’d run straight into it, screaming at the top of my lungs.”"

"The body needs many different foods to remain healthy. And the mind needs many different ideas to remain sharp. Wouldn’t you agree?"

"Bitterness is repaid more often than kindness. One of his father’s sayings."

"“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.”"

"“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.”"

"But expectations were like fine pottery. The harder you help them, the more likely they were to crack."

"I have a headache" "You can't get headaches" "So you're fond of telling me."

"Of course not," she agreed, "You are nothing if not exhaustive in your self-congratulatory made-up logic."

"Every man is a hero in his own story, Princess."

"The motivations of men. They never make sense. And they always make sense."

"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."

"… imaginary things were often the only items of real substance in people's lives."

"You see the great thing about madness is that it's all in your head."

"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."

"Surprisingly, it was in my mouth," he said, "I always forget to check there."

"The Eleventh Metal? Of course it is - I showed it to you remember?"

"That's the funny thing about arriving somewhere, Vin. Once you're there, the only thing you can really do is leave again"

"I've always been very confident in my immaturity."

"[..] 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?"

"There's always another secret."

"For the man whose religion claims to spread truth, priest, your lies are strikingly vulgar."

"They needed to work and improve their own lives, not wait for some external miracle."

"You have to expect a measure of subterfuge in any political engagement."

"“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.”"

"“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.”"

"Men often place pride before reason."

"“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.”"

"You will find that hate can unify people more quickly and more fervently than devotion ever could."

"Hrathen turned to Dial. “The first step in taking control of a nation, Arteth, is the simplest. You find someone to hate.”"

"“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.”"