The Stormlight Archive, Books 1-4: The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, Oathbringer, Rhythm of War

by Brandon Sanderson

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

One cannot apply logic as an absolute where human beings are concerned. We are not beings of thought only.

Power could be an illusion of perception. Even within yourself.

Life was so much harder, but potentially so much more fulfilling, when you found the courage to choose.

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,

“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.”

“And that makes you not a person,” Shallan said, nodding. “It erases your ability to make choices or mistakes. Because you’re perfect. You were born to be perfect. So you can never earn anything on your own.”