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Rist didn’t trust a historian who lacked critique.
If a man was cast aside for his ideas, that generally meant there was merit to them, merit that others did not wish to see the light of day.
‘The past is the tapestry from which we learn the steps we should not take,’ Verathin had said. ‘Study it, learn from it, know it. Then and only then can we hope to avoid repeating the mistakes of those who came before us. Ignore it and doom yourself to being the story the next generation learns from.’
What good is protecting each other on the battlefield if we don’t protect each other off it.
The weights on our shoulders rarely get lighter, but we can get stronger.”
“Prepare for the demon you know, instead of fearing the one you don’t.”
To live forever was a notion chased by many dreamers, but it was, in many ways, a poisoned chalice. Life had meaning because it had an end. Without the end, each day was just a blur in a vast ocean.
“Both honour and religion are things mortals use to justify atrocious deeds. To absolve themselves of the guilt they have so deservedly gained. They are more dangerous than any blade or any dragon.
“Courage is no good if you’re dead!”
“I don’t need the name of every man who came before you. Their deeds are their own. You cannot live off them.”
“There is no such thing as noble blood. Blood is blood. Nobility is in the doing of things.
Among my kind we hold our failures close, so as to learn from them. We take pride in them because failing means you tried. You can only ever succeed if you allow yourself to fail.”
“Death is the only thing we are assured of in life. It’s not how we die that matters, it’s how we live.”
‘The power of words is in the choosing of them, my son. Not just in the choosing of which words to speak, but in choosing when not to speak at all. The man who speaks rarely but wisely is heeded far more often than the man who can’t hold his tongue.’
stories are born to be told, and without readers, they serve no purpose.
