Quotes from George R. R. Martin

With a book I am the writer and I am also the director and I'm all of the actors and I'm the special effects guy and the lighting technician: I'm all of that. So if it's good or bad, it's all up to me.

I love fantasy. I grew up reading fantasy.

One of the big breakthroughs, I think for me, was reading Robert A. Heinlein's four rules of writing, one of which was, 'You must finish what you write.' I never had any problem with the first one, 'You must write' - I was writing since I was a kid. But I never finished what writing.

I was a novelist first. But in the mid-'80s, I did work in television for ten years. And yes, that was frequently the reaction to my scripts. People would say, 'You know, George, this is great. We love it, a terrific script, but it would cost five times our budget to shoot this.'

Reading. That was the sport I was good at.

The cable makers are the ones who are willing to take risks and do something original and push the envelope some.

I had an encyclopedia with a list of flags in the back, so I would look at all these flags of China and Liberia and England and Denmark and whatever, and I learned all the different flags, and I tried to imagine what it would be like to be voyaging on some of these ships.

You want people to be eager for your book; the downside is when the people forget the series even exists.

In my 10 years that I spent out in TV and film, I had my shares of frustrations and annoyances and disappointments, but also I think it was, in the long run, it was very good for me in a whole bunch of ways.

The singers make much of kings who die valiantly in battle, but your life is worth more than a song.

A woman's life is nine parts mess to one part magic, you'll learn that soon enough...and the parts that look like magic turn out to be the messiest of all.

'Rome' was one of my favourite shows, and I wish HBO had given it three more seasons 'cause I would have loved to continue watching it.

Madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land.

And for the first time in hundreds of years, the night came alive with the music of dragons.

One of the great things about books is you can afford to do anything.

Old stories are like old friends, she used to say. You have to visit them from time to time.

The Lord of Light in his wisdom made us male and female, two parts of a greater whole. In our joining there is power. Power to make life. Power to make light. Power to cast shadows.

Life is not a song, sweetling. Someday you may learn that, to your sorrow.

The great thing about reading is that it broadens your life

I think life is a jape. Yours, mine, everyone's

If we leave our smells behind us when we leave a room, surely something of our souls must remain when we leave this life?" - Qyburn

Jon Snow: I'm not afraid to die. Mormont: Nor life, I hope.

His dagger was out, poised at her throat. "Sing, little bird. Sing for your little life.

I worked out of Hollywood for 10 years and I had my heart broken half a dozen times, so I know all the things that can go wrong.