Quotes from Brandon Sanderson

White clothing for a killer was a tradition among the Parshendi. Although Szeth had not asked, his masters had explained why. White to be bold. White to not blend into the night. White to give warning. For if you were going to assassinate a man, he was entitled to see you coming.

For me, if I have writer's block it means I know that what I am writing is not working quite right and I need to go back and fix what is not right. And once I do that I can write onward. Sometimes writer's block is just I'm in a funk that day and my writing just isn't working. In that case I write anyway and then throw it away. You can always write. Writer's block is 'I can't write because what I'm writing is crap.

You people are all insane. How I ended up with you, I'll never know." Breeze laughed. "Now, that's a lie, Cett. You know exactly how you ended up joining with us. We threatened to kill you if you didn't!

Battle was a masculine art. A woman wanting to come to the battlefield was like... well, like a man wanting to read. Unnatural.

Hemalurgy, it is called, because of the connection to blood. It is not a coincidence, I believe, that death is always involved in the transfer of powers via Hemalurgy. Marsh once described it as a "messy" process. Not the adjective I would have chosen. It's not disturbing enough.

Greet every morning with a smile. That way it won't know what you're planning to do to it?

To their simple, degenerate minds there was only one thing to do when faced by a God more powerful than their own: Convert. Brandon Sanderson(Elantris)

I can't do it." He smiled. "There are certain things I know, Shallan. This is one of them. You can. Find the balance. Accept the pain, but don't accept that you deserved it.

The most important step a man can take. It's not the first one, is it? It's the next one. Always the next step, Dalinar.

Everything's going to change, Sazed, and I can't stop it." Sazed smiled fondly. "Then, Mistress," he said quietly, "simply enjoy what you have. The future will surprise you, I think.

She no longer fought out of fear for the man she loved. Instead, she fought with an understanding. She was a knife—Elend's knife, the Final Empire's knife.

Life as a human being is about posturing and influence.

Or you could be a serial killer who specializes in reading books, then seeking out the authors and murdering them in horrible ways. (If you happen to fall into that last category, you should know that my name isn't really Alcatraz Smedry, nor is it Brandon Sanderson. My name is in fact Garth Nix, and you can find me in Australia. Oh, and I insulted your mother once. What're you going to do about it, huh?)

You are offered proof only once you believe, but if you believe, you can find proof in anything. It is a logical conundrum.

May you rule in wisdom.

We really have to do something about you ambivalence toward civic duty, kid." "I already overthrew one government," Vin said. "I figure that takes care of my 'civic duty' for a while.

The Stormlight rising from his exposed skin was enough to illuminate the chasm, and it cast shadows on the walls as he ran. Those seemed to become figures, crafted by the bones and branches stretching from the heaps on the ground. Bodies and souls. His movement made the shadows twist, as if turning to regard him.

But maybe you shouldn't be looking for life to be easier because you choose to do something that is right!

Discomforting, like finding a three-week-old sandwich behind your bed, when you swore you'd finished the darn thing.

Who is a better swimmer?" Veil whispered. "It's the sailor who has swum his entire life, even if he encounters rough seas that challenge him. Who is the stronger man? It is the man who must pull himself by his arms.

In a three-way negotiation, the weakest party actually has the most power - because his allegiance added to either of the other two will choose the eventual winner.

If you can't arrive early, at least arrive before you're late.

Hero of Ages. Not a Hero that came once in the ages. But a Hero who would span the ages. A Hero who would preserve mankind throughout all its lives and times. Neither Preservation nor Ruin, but both. God.

I smiled, then realized I was talking to a weird cave slug, which was a new low even for me.