Warbreaker

by Brandon Sanderson

Mocking a woman is like drinking too much wine. It may be fun for a short time, but the hangover is hell.”

A leader was someone who acted.

But he’d found that imaginary things were often the only items of real substance in people’s lives.

Don’t set yourself above others. He who makes himself high will be cast down low.

It’s not so uncommon for others to have more faith in someone than he has in himself.”

“It would be all right if I talked to them?” “If you must,” Mercystar said. “Have I mentioned exactly how thoroughly out of sorts I am? One would think that you’d prefer to stay and comfort me.”

“My dear Mercystar,” he said. “If you know anything of me, then you will realize that leaving you alone is by far the best comfort I can offer.”

“What I’m trying to say is that you don’t understand a man until you understand what makes him do what he does. Every man is a hero in his own story, Princess. Murderers don’t believe that they’re to blame for what they do. Thieves, they think they deserve the money they take. Dictators, they believe they have the right—for the safety of their people and the good of the nation—to do whatever they wish.”

Yet she was beginning to think that she—along with many others—had taken this belief too far, letting her desire to seem humble become a form of pride itself. She now saw that when her faith had become about clothing instead of people, it had taken a wrong turn.

We are more aware of our surroundings, sometimes, than we realize. I think we attribute a supernatural connection to some of these things. Who knows? Maybe there is one. I don’t know, perhaps I’ve got a bit of it myself.

As a very, very wise man once said, “I don’t mind if my books raise questions. In fact, I like it. But I never want to give you the answers. Those are yours to decide.” —Robert Jordan.

All of the riches in the world could be piled in one place, and they would be unimportant unless you ascribed value to them.

But I feel that a story needs a great variety of climactic moments—some internal character moments, some external skill moments, some great twists, some expected payoffs, some big reveals, and some dramatic rescues. This chapter and the next take a shot at trying to cover a lot of those different types.