Brandon Sanderson

Quotes

1. The ardents who passed through town were careful to explain that the Calling of a farmer was a noble one, one of the highest save for the Calling of a soldier. Kal’s father whispered under his breath that he saw far more honor in feeding the kingdom than he did in fighting and dying in useless wars.

   p. 245

2. 

   “I never said that!”

   “Yes, but I pretended you did. Which is virtually the same thing.”

   p. 507

3. 

   Bitterness is repaid more often than kindness. One of his father’s sayings.

   p. 98

4. 

   “Stories and legends, Teft,” Kaladin said. “We want to believe that there were better men once. That makes us think it could be that way again. But people don’t change. They are corrupt now. They were corrupt then.”

   p. 832

5. 

   I shouldn’t be so hard on our neighbors. They’re petty, yes, but it’s the pettiness of the ignorant. I’m not disgusted by them. I’m disgusted by the one who manipulates them.

   p. 482

6. 

   Art was about creation. That was its soul, its essence. Creation and order. You took something disorganized—a splash of ink, an empty page—and you built something from it. Something from nothing. The soul of creation.

   p. 948

7. 

   A layer of skin, a layer of fat, a layer of muscle, a layer of bone. That was what men were.

   p. 789

8. 

   “I was thinking philosophy,” Jasnah said.

   Shallan blinked. “Philosophy? What good is that?” Isn’t it the art of saying nothing with as many words as possible?

   “Philosophy is an important field of study,” Jasnah said sternly. “Particularly if you’re going to be involved in court politics. The nature of morality must be considered, and preferably before one is exposed to situations where a moral decision is required.”

   p. 528

9. 

   “Curious,” she said. “I will do my best to pretend there was sense in that. As an aside, has it ever struck you that most masculine arts deal with destroying, while feminine arts deal with creation?”

   p. 418

10. 

    You see the great thing about madness is that it's all in your head.

11. 

    “My circumstances are unusual, Brightness.”

    “Ignorance is hardly unusual, Miss Davar. The longer I live the more I come to realize that it is the natural state of the human mind. There are many who will strive to defend its sanctity and then expect you to be impressed with their efforts.”

    p. 87

12. 

    “I didn’t say Tvlakv isn’t a bastard. He’s just a likable bastard.” He hesitated, then grimaced. “Those are the worst kind. When you kill them, you end up feeling guilty for it.”

    p. 77