The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

by Brandon Sanderson

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

“Well, I myself find that respect is like manure. Use it where needed, and growth will flourish. Spread it on too thick, and things just start to smell.”

Sometimes we find it hardest to accept in others that which we cling to in ourselves.

The means by which we achieve victory are as important as the victory itself.”

A man’s emotions are what define him, and control is the hallmark of true strength. To lack feeling is to be dead, but to act on every feeling is to be a child.”

“Just because I do not accept the teachings of the devotaries does not mean I’ve discarded a belief in right and wrong.”

“But the Almighty determines what is right!”

“If there were no law, some men would do as they wish, yes,” Jasnah said. “But isn’t it remarkable that, given the chance for personal gain at the cost of others, so many people choose what is right?”

“No,” Jasnah said. “I think something innate in us understands that seeking the good of society is usually best for the individual as well. Humankind is noble, when we give it the chance to be. That nobility is something that exists independent of any god’s decree.”

‘Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination.’ ”

“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon. Too often, we forget that.”