Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, #2)

by Brandon Sanderson

“There is a secret you must learn, child,” Jasnah said. “A secret that is even more important than those relating to Shadesmar and spren. Power is an illusion of perception.”

On an individual basis, in most interactions, this thing we call power—authority—exists only as it is perceived.

Standing before him, feeling radiant in the glow of the flames—towering above him and his grubby machinations—she saw. Expectation wasn’t just about what people expected of you. It was about what you expected of yourself.