Quotes from Brandon Sanderson

you do realize that you just left the writing desk behind to sit on the floor." Vin looked up. "And?" "The purpose of a writing desk is, well, writing." "But my papers are all over here." "Papers can be moved, I believe. If they prove too heavy, you could always burn pewter to give yourself more strength.

Conversations with some people remind me of a broken sword. Sharp as hell, but lacking a point.

I saw it in his eyes, first. That hunger, that fire. And then I found it in myself. He's a flame, Waxillium is, and fire can be shared. When I'm out here, when I'm with him, I burn, Marasi. It's wonderful.

War is the last option of the state that has failed

The finest defense of character is correct action. Acquaint yourself with virtue, and you can expect proper treatment from those around you.

Pride doesn't win battles.

We either learn together or we fall individually.

and he pushed through the worst of the darkness. He always emerged on the other side. Why was that so difficult to remember while in the middle of it?

the Law of Inevitable Occurrence. In layman's terms, this law states that some things simply have to happen. If there's a red button on a console with the words don't push taped above it, someone will push it. If there's a gun hanging conspicuously above Chekhov's fireplace, someone is going to end up shooting it (probably at Nietzsche).

They're scared of you." Zahel's voice, drifting again above the crowd. "Do you see it in them? Show them why.

A man is what he has passion about. If you give up what you want most for what you think you should want more, you'll end up miserable.

I believed them. Scud, I believed Cuna was sincere. But could I trust my own assessment? The fact that I'd so grossly misread their expressions reinforced this idea. I was among aliens. They were people, with real love and emotions, but they also—by definition—wouldn't do things the same way humans did.

Because he knew we'd never rebel on our own, so he gave us no choice.

Kaladin floated downward toward him. "Ten spears go to battle," he whispered, "and nine shatter. Did that war forge the one that remained? No, Amaram. All the war did was identify the spear that would not break.

hard times make people willing to accept a man who preaches change.

Tell me. Why would you consider me insane, but the man who can't hold a job, who cheats on his wife, who can't keep his temper in check? You call him sane? ... Plenty of sane people can't manage to keep it all under control. Their mental state--stress, anxiety, frustration--gets in the way of their ability to be happy. Compared to them, I think I'm downright stable.

We must not cower in the dark because we're afraid of the spark within us. The answer is not to put out the spark, but to learn to control it.

The baking thing is an actual tradition," Wit added. "I once visited a place where—if you lose a battle—your mother has to bake the other fellow something tasty. I rather liked those people." "Pity you didn't remain with them longer," Dalinar said. "Ha! Well, I didn't think it wise to stay around. After all, they were cannibals.

A man's emotions are what define him, and control is the hallmark of true strength.

I looked at Hurl's lacerated face, her one remaining eye staring ahead. Defiant until the end, for all the good it had done. Brave . . . cowardly . . . she was still dead, so what did it matter?

She was graceful—but it was the dexterous grace of a predator, not the deliberate grace of a courtly lady.

Waxillium had seen some odd things in his life. He'd visited koloss camps in the Roughs, even been invited to join their numbers. He'd met and spoken with God himself and had received a personal gift from Death. That did not prepare him for the sight of a pretty young woman's chest turning nearly transparent, one of the breasts splitting and offering up the hilt of a small handgun.

Get better. Learn to accept that sometimes what you feel isn't invalid, but that it doesn't mean you have to act according to those feelings either.

You bastard!" Wax shouted toward the box. "Now, now," the box said. "That's patently false, Waxillium. You have a very clear understanding of my parentage.