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

by Brandon Sanderson

What others were handed, I had to hunt.

He wasn’t a man; he was a thing, and things just did what they did.

“the prize is not worth the costs. The means by which we achieve victory are as important as the victory itself.”

Killing the King’s Wit was legal.

He’d been burned too often to trust the flame.

“This is what we need,” Kaladin said. “This! It’s the thing I’ve been missing.” Rock hesitated. “Chull dung? This is the thing you need?” Teft burst into another round of laughter.

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.”

‘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.”

‘And so, does the destination matter? Or is it the path we take? I declare that no accomplishment has substance nearly as great as the road used to achieve it. We are not creatures of destinations. It is the journey that shapes us. Our callused feet, our backs strong from carrying the weight of our travels, our eyes open with the fresh delight of experiences lived. “ ‘In the end, I must proclaim that no good can be achieved of false means. For the substance of our existence is not in the achievement, but in the method.

“The finest defense of character is correct action. Acquaint yourself with virtue, and you can expect proper treatment from those around you.”

Strength does not make one capable of rule; it makes one capable of service.”

Hundreds died each week, winning gems for men who were already rich, winning vengeance for a king long dead.

“Maybe I’ll remove dying from my list of tasks to do this week.”

He raised a trembling hand to his head, feeling the brand there, wet with his sweat. “I owe you nothing, Kholin.” And his father’s voice seemed to whisper a reply. Somebody has to start, son. Somebody has to step forward and do what is right, because it is right. If nobody starts, then others cannot follow. Dalinar had come to help Kaladin’s men, attacking those archers and saving Bridge Four. The lighteyes don’t care about life, Lirin had said. So I must. So we must. So you must. … Life before death. I’ve failed so often. I’ve been knocked to the ground and trod upon. Strength before weakness. This would be death I’d lead my friends to … Journey before destination. … death, and what is right.