Rosemary Steeden > Rosemary's Quotes

“The only sovereign I can allow to rule me is reason. The first law of reason is this: what exists exists; what is is. From this irreducible, bedrock principle, all knowledge is built. This is the foundation from which life is embraced. Reason is a choice. Wishes and whims are not facts, nor are they a means to discovering them. Reason is our only way of grasping reality–it is our basic tool of survival. We are free to evade the effort of thinking, to reject reason, but we are not free to avoid the penalty of the abyss we refuse to see." -Richard”
― Terry Goodkind, Faith of the Fallen

“I am who I am; no more, no less.”
― Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule

“People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything”
― Terry Goodkind

“But people rarely believe the truth when they see it and less so when they don’t want to, and that makes the position of Seeker a dangerous one.”
― Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule

“...it’s no help to be ignorant of the truth....”
― terry goodkind, The Third Kingdom

“we have to look to the challenge of the future with excitement, not fear.”
― Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule

“the greatest harm can result from the best intentions. Violation can cause anything from discomfort, to disaster, to death. “Some leaders have preached peace, saying that even self-defense is wrong. It seems the best of intentions to shun violence. In the end, it often leads to a slaughter, where their threat of violence in the beginning would have prevented attack, and resulted in no violence. They put their good intentions above the realities of life. They accuse warriors of being bloodthirsty, when the warriors would have actually prevented bloodshed.”
― Terry Goodkind, Stone of Tears

“Too long we have lived looking to the past and not to the future! Too long we have chased old ghosts and been blind to new callings! Too long we have listened to those who would seek to drag us into war and ignored those who would guide us on a path to peace!”
― Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule

“Evil was not one large entity, but a ceaseless torrent of small wrongs left unchallenged, until they festered into monsters.”
― Terry Goodkind, Faith of the Fallen

“price. There is no such thing as pure good or pure evil, least of all in people. In the best of us there are thoughts or deeds that are wicked, and in the worst of us, at least some virtue. An adversary is not one who does loathsome acts for their own sake.”
― Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule

“If the road is easy, you're likely going the wrong way.”
― Terry Goodkind

“People are stupid. They will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true.”
― Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule

“I often hear people say that they read to escape reality, but I believe that what they’re really doing is reading to find reason for hope, to find strength. While a bad book leaves readers with a sense of hopelessness and despair, a good novel, through stories of values realized, of wrongs righted, can bring to readers a connection to the wonder of life. A good novel shows how life can and ought to be lived. It not only entertains but energizes and uplifts readers.”
― Terry Goodkind

“Sometimes, making the wrong choice is better than making no choice. You have the courage to go forward, that is rare. A person who stands at the fork, unable to pick, will never get anywhere.”
― Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule

“I'm afraid that we all make mistakes. One of the things that defines our character is how we handle mistakes. If we lie about having made a mistake, then it can't be corrected and it festers. On the other hand, if we give up just because we made a mistake, even a big mistake, none of us would get far in life.”
― Terry Goodkind, Confessor

“Love is not about what you want. It's about finding happiness for the one you love.”
― Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule

“Wizard's First Rule: People are stupid”
― Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule

“The Second Rule is that the greatest harm can result from the best intentions. It sounds a paradox, but kindness and good intentions can be an insidious path to destruction. Sometimes doing what seems right is wrong, and can cause harm. The only counter to it is knowledge, wisdom, forethought, and understanding the First Rule. Even then, that is not always enough.”
― Terry Goodkind, Stone of Tears

“Only those you trust can betray you.”
― Terry Goodkind

“Nothing marks a man's character better than his attraction to intelligence.”
― Terry Goodkind

“Your life is your own. Rise up and live it.”
― Terry Goodkind, Faith of the Fallen

“Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.”
― Terry Goodkind

“There is no such thing as pure good or pure evil, least of all in people. In the best of us there are thoughts or deeds that are wicked, and in the worst of us, at least some virtue. An adversary is not one who does loathsome acts for their own sake. He always has a reason that to him is justification. My cat eats mice. Does that make him bad? I don't think so, and the cat doesn't think so, but I would bet the mice have a different opinion.”
― Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule

“You can't argue with the fools in the world. It's better to let them have their way, then trick them when they're not paying attention.”
― Terry Goodkind

“Admitting that you do not know something is the first step to learning.”
― Terry Goodkind

“...Wizard's Fifth Rule: Mind what people do, not only what they say, for deeds will betray a lie.”
― Terry Goodkind, Soul of the Fire

“Knowledge is a destination. Truth, the journey.”
― Terry Goodkind

“That is the curse of lying, Sister. Once you place that crown of the liar upon your head, you can take it off again, but it leaves a stain for all time.”
― Terry Goodkind, Soul of the Fire

“no army has ever marched into battle thinking that the Creator had sided with their enemy.”
― Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule

“Nothing gained without cost is valued. Freedom has a cost, and all will bear it so all will value and preserve it.”
― Terry Goodkind