Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection

by Brandon Sanderson

being bested was a rule of life. No matter how good you were, someone was better. Live by that knowledge, and you would never grow so confident that you became sloppy.

Being honest did not make one naive. A dishonest fool and an honest fool were equally easy to scam; you just went about it in different ways.

“People,” Shai said, rising to fetch another seal, “by nature attempt to exercise power over what is around them. We build walls to shelter us from the wind, roofs to stop the rain. We tame the elements, bend nature to our wills. It makes us feel as if we’re in control. “Except in doing so, we merely replace one influence with another. Instead of the wind affecting us, it is a wall.

“Pity can be a powerful tool. Anytime you can make someone else feel something, you’ve got power over them.”