Quotes from Joe Abercrombie

One cannot grow without pain. One cannot improve without it. Suffering drives us to achieve great things.

What do the dice say?" Dice say nothing. They are dice." Why roll'em, then?" They are dice. What else would I do with them?

It always amazes me, how swiftly problems can be solved, once you start cutting things off people.

An open mind is like to an open wound,' growled Glokta. 'Vulnerable to poison.

Some things have to be done. It's better to do them, than to live with the fear of them.

The wise speaker first learns when to stay silent

It is easy to forget how much you have, when your eyes are always fixed on what you have not.

There was nothing to be gained by losing his temper. There was never anything to be gained by that.

It's hard to stay calm when you're terrified, helpless, alone, at the mercy of men with no mercy at all.

Hurray', shouted Glokta. 'Porridge again!'He looked over at the motionless Practical. 'Porridge and honey, better than money, everything's funny, with porridge and honey!

People have often accused me of inconsistency but i feel that i have always, at any given junction, done the same thing. Exactly what i pleased.

Something dug into the Bloody-Nine's back, but there was no pain. It was a sign. A message in a secret tongue, that only he could understand. It told him where the next dead man was standing.

That's what courage is. Taking your disappointments and your failures, your guilt and your shame, all the wounds received and inflicted, and sinking them in the past. Starting again. Damning yesterday and facing tomorrow with your head held high. Times change. It's those that see it coming, and plan for it, and change themselves to suit that prosper.

Get what you can with words, because words are free, but the words of an armed man ring that much sweeter.

A man who does't want opinions should keep his own mouth shut.

Power makes all things right. That is my first law, and my last. That is the only law that I acknowledge.

You may need two hands to fight someone, but only one to stab them in the back. (Yarvi)

You don't have to be ready. You just have to go.

Good steel bends, but never breaks. Good steel stays always sharp and ready. Good steel feels no pain, no pity, and above all, no remorse

One should learn the lessons of history. The mistakes of the past need only be made once. Unless there are no other choices. ~ Bayaz

Broken hearts heal with time, but broken teeth never do.

If you have a plan," hissed Sumael from the corner of her mouth, "now would be the time." "I have a plan," said Nothing. "Does it involve swords?" A pause. "All my plans do." "Do you have a sword?" Another. "No." "How will you succeed without one?" Muttered Sumael. A third. "Death waits for us all.

Take everything as a compliment, you can never be insulted.

Kill me?' The Bloody-Nine laughed louder than ever. 'I do the killing, fool!