Ro > Ro's Quotes

“Life before Death.
Strength before Weakness.
Journey before Destination.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“Authority doesn't come from a rank.," Kaladin said, fingering the spheres in his pocket.
"Where does it come from?"
"From the men who give it to you. That's the only way to get it.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“I once saw a spindly man carrying a stone larger than his head upon his back. He stumbled beneath the weight, shirtless under the sun, wearing only a loincloth. He tottered down a busy thoroughfare. People made way for him. Not because they sympathized with him, but because they feared the momentum of his steps. You dare not impede one such as this. The monarch is like this man, stumbling along, the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders. Many give way before him, but so few are willing to step in and help carry the stone. They do not wish to attach themselves to the work, lest they condemn themselves to a life full of extra burdens. I left my carriage that day and took up the stone, lifting it for the man. I believe my guards were embarrassed. One can ignore a poor shirtless wretch doing such labor, but none ignore a king sharing the load. Perhaps we should switch places more often. If a king is seen to assume the burden of the poorest of men, perhaps there will be those who will help him with his own load, so invisible, yet so daunting.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“If I should die,” Dalinar said, “then I would do so having lived my life right. It is not the destination that matters, but how one arrives there.”
“The Codes?”
“No. The Way of Kings.”
“That storming book.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“They tried boiling books, but that didn't work very well."
"I'm surprised they haven't tried boiling one another."
"Oh, it's been tried," Galladon said. "Fortunately. something happens to us
during the Shaod—apparently the flesh of a dead man doesn't taste too good.
Kolo? In fact, it's so violently bitter that no one can keep it down."
"It's nice to see that cannibalism has been so logically ruled out as an option," Raoden said dryly”
― Brandon Sanderson, Elantris

“The lesser of two evils, or the greater good. Get a good man to utter either of those phrases, and there is no one more eager to begin perpetrating evil.”
― James Islington, An Echo of Things to Come

“You can put your trust in something that’s obvious, that’s measurable or predictable - but that's not faith. Nor is believing in something that gives you no pause for doubt, no reason or desire to question. Faith is something more than that. By definition, it cannot have proof as its foundation.”
― James Islington, The Shadow Of What Was Lost

“Everyone has a darker nature, Caeden. Everyone. Good men fear it, and evil men embrace it.”
― James Islington, The Shadow of What Was Lost

“You can put your trust in something that’s obvious, that’s measurable or predictable - but that's not faith.”
― James Islington, The Shadow Of What Was Lost

“All that I wanted, I received All that I dreamed, I achieved All that I feared, I conquered All that I hated, I destroyed All that I loved, I saved And so I lay down my head, weary with despair For all that I needed, I lost.”
― James Islington, The Shadow of What Was Lost

“One must be a sea, to receive a polluted stream without becoming impure.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

“He whines, he complains, he ducks out of the most obvious responsibility. He is vain, petty and maddening, but he doesn't ever quit.”
― Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia

“Corruption doesn’t take root in isolation, it embeds itself where the soil is fertile.”
― Ed McDonald, Blackwing

“There’s no freedom quite like the freedom of being constantly underestimated.”
― Scott Lynch, The Lies of Locke Lamora

“I don't have to beat you. I don't have to beat you, motherfucker. I just have to keep you here... until Jean shows up.”
― Scott Lynch, The Lies of Locke Lamora

“To us — richer and cleverer than everyone else!”
― Scott Lynch, The Lies of Locke Lamora

“Just one question, you arrogant fucking cocksucker" said Locke. "I'll grant the Lamora part is easy to spot; the truth is, I didn't know about the apt translation when I took the name. I borrowed it from this old sausage dealer who was kind to me once, back in Catchfire before the plague. I just liked the way it sounded.
"But what the fuck" he said slowly, "ever gave you the idea that Locke was the first name I was actually born with?”
― Scott Lynch, The Lies of Locke Lamora

“What thief does not fight to hold what he has?"

"One that has something better," said Locke.”
― Scott Lynch, The Lies of Locke Lamora

“I should rather have you than a heap of gold, even if it were very comfortable to sleep on.”
― Naomi Novik, His Majesty's Dragon

“I am beginning to feel the need of a glass of wine to fortify myself against this conversation.”
― Naomi Novik, His Majesty's Dragon

“I will never let Berkley commit treason, ever," Maximus said, "but if he did, I would step on anyone who tried to hang him.”
― Naomi Novik, His Majesty's Dragon

“Waiting. Not waiting. One lover. A hundred lovers. There should be no judgement either way. A woman is not defined by what she does or doesn‘t do in the bedroom.”
― Tricia Levenseller, The Shadows Between Us

“Hey, have you heard about the time I saved Huio from being swallowed? Oh yes. He was going to get eaten. By a monster uglier than the women he courts. And I flew into the thing’s mouth to save him. Off the tongue. Then I was very humble about having done such a heroic deed.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Dawnshard

“Even before I recognized him, I smiled politely. Well trained, I would have smiled so at my executioner.”
― Megan Whalen Turner, Thick as Thieves

“The Attolian king obviously had a deep well of spite and I would've appreciated his low cunning more if I hadn't thought the Attolian was about to wring my neck.”
― Megan Whalen Turner, Thick as Thieves

“All I wanted to do was lie in the dry grass with my feet in a ditch forever. I could be a convenient sort of milemarker, I thought. Get to the thief and you know you're halfway to Methana.”
― Megan Whalen Turner, The Thief

“... I wanted Ambiades to understand that I considered myself a hierarchy of one.”
― Megan Whalen Turner, The Thief