"i am frightened," faile replied. "i just try not let it show. crying never does any good." most men believed that. tears could get in your way if you let them, but a few tears shed at night could help you make it through the next day.

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"loyalty is precious above the breath of life, followed closely by knowing when to keep silent. the more who speak of a thing, the more will learn of it who should not."

- karede, in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"it is impossible to live or move without making mistakes. but we live, and we go on. and if we sometimes need to conceal our mistakes, whenever possible, we rectify them. even when it is painful."

- lelaine, in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"what he had were obligations he could not walk away from and a future he did not fancy. taking responsibility drained all the joy out of life and dried a man to dust."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

samitsu: "fostering upheaval inside is no way to maintain the peace. there is a precarious balance now, but it is a balance, and we mustn't disturb it."

sashalle: "upheaval will come whether or not we foster it. the surface of the water may be still, but the fish never stop swimming."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

g|mrng (",) yesterday was national heroes day; what will we make of today?

"the innocent died along with the guilty. and if you did nothing, then only the innocent died. or as bad as died."

"how the horror of yesterday became merely the uneasiness of today, once you grew accustomed."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"but sometimes the only choice was between bad and worse."

- in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

beep? (",)

"he had always been called a gambler, though he was not. the trick was in knowing what risks you could take. and sometimes, in knowing which ones you had to take."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"swords only become useful when wits fail."

- moad, in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

(".)

"better to feel a fool than be one."

- birgitte, in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"beauty flees. years will make your breasts sag, your flesh grow slack, your skin grow leathery. men who smiled to see your face will speak to you as if you were just another man. your husband may see you always as the first time his eyes caught you, but no other man will dream of you. will you no longer be you? your body is only clothing. your flesh will wither, but you are your heart and mind, and they do not change except to grow stronger."

- viendre, in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"your arms will grow weak, your legs will lose their swiftness. a youth will be able to take the knife from your hand. how will skill or ferocity avail you then? heart and mind are the true weapons. but did you learn to use the spear in a day? if you do not hone mind and heart now, you will grow old and children will befuddle your wits. when you speak, all will hear only the wind. take heed while you can."

- tamela, in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"there is violence in you. deny it, and deny yourself. have you never raged and struck out? have you never drawn blood? have you never wished to? without considering another way? without any thought at all? while you breathe, that will be part of you."

- viendre, in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"you think men do not stare at your face in approval? you are beautiful, and you know it. deny it, and deny yourself! you have taken pleasure in men's looks, and smiled at them. will you never smile at a man to give your arguments more weight, or touch his arm to distract him from the weakness of your arguments? you will, and you will be no less for it."

- tamela, in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"courage is a well, deep in some, shallow in others. deep or shallow, wells go dry eventually, even if they fill again later. you will face what you cannot face. your spine will turn to jelly, and your vaunted courage will leave you weeping in the dust."

- viendre, in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"you did not rise just through your ability. you needed to read the intent that lay between the words of your orders, to interpret small gestures and facial expressions; you had to notice who deferred to whom, even subtly, for courage and ability alone took you only so high."

- in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"some men have an air about them that makes other men follow where they lead. some lead to devastation, others to glory. i think your name may go into the history books."

- noal charin, in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

harine: "i understand obeying orders. i approve of obeying orders! however, orders that have been carried out can be forgotten. they no longer need be spoken of. do you understand me?"

sarene: "i do not see how one can deliberately forget. but i suppose you mean that we should pretend to. is that it?"

- in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"sometimes you're just too weak to do what you should."

- rand al'thor, in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"i am punished for flaws ignored in others, for flaws i never make, because i might!"

- talaan, in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"a trap isn't really a trap if you know it's there. if you know it's there, maybe you can see a way to walk in so it isn't a trap at all."

- rand al'thor, in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"no battle ever went according to plan, even the best. great captains earned their reputation not just for laying brilliant plans, but for still being able to find victory after those plans began to fall apart."

- in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

mat cauthon: "who cares what stories people tell? gossip isn't going to hurt anybody."

thom merilin: "not true, mat. stories have power. gleemen's tales, and bards' epics, and rumors in the street alike. they stir passions, and change the way men see the world."

- in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"if a sword had memory, it might be grateful to the forge fire, but never fond of it."

- in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"you can never know everything and part of what you know is always wrong. perhaps even the most important part. a portion of wisdom lies in knowing that. a portion of courage lies in going on anyway."

- al'lan mandragoran, in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"attack before they know what you are doing, and keep attacking until you rout them or break through"

- in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"sometimes, you find yourself outnumbered, with no path to slip away. always do what your enemy least expects. in that case, you must attack."

- in robert jordan's "winter's heart"

"the fact that men like looking at a woman doesn't mean she invites it."

- egwene al'vere, in robert jordan's "the path of daggers"

"failure made shame surge in her heart. there WAS shame in failing at what you should be able to do."

- in robert jordan's "the path of daggers"

"you are braver than most. and wiser. so long as you do not let bravery overcome your fear too far."

- shaidar haran, in robert jordan's "the path of daggers"

"survival lost some of its attraction if it was survival on a leash."

- in robert jordan's "the path of daggers"

"let someone know you need them and they have a hold on you. a leash, to pull you where they want. i won't put a halter on my own neck."

- rand al'thor, in robert jordan's "the path of daggers"

"we have what they want, but they have what we need. i'm afraid that means they set the price."

- merilille, in robert jordan's "the path of daggers"

"the Law of Unintended Consequences, stronger than any written law: whether or not what you do has the effect you want, it will have three at least you never expected, and one of those usually unpleasant."

- in robert jordan's "the path of daggers"

"words could hurt as hard as fists, the wrong words, words you never meant, let loose in a temper."

- in robert jordan's "the path of daggers"

"when you die, people begin to forget, who you were and what you did, or tried to do. everybody dies eventually, and everybody is forgotten, eventually, but there's no bloody point dying before your time comes."

- davram bashere, in robert jordan's "the path of daggers"

"only a fool thinks his enemies stand still when he isn't looking."

- damer flinn

"it is the enemy you underestimate who kills you."

- amys

in robert jordan's "a crown of swords"

"a haughty display of submission to the greater will... an arrogant showing of their lack of arrogance. the pride of humility."

- in robert jordan's "a crown of swords"

"a haughty display of submission to the greater will... an arrogant showing of their lack of arrogance. the pride of humility."

- in robert jordan's "a crown of swords"

"you have never faced something you could not fight, something so strong your only choice is to flee or be consumed alive. try to hold judgment."

- thom merilin, in robert jordan's "a crown of swords"

"'if you don't know everything, you must go on with what you do know.' it seems i never do know everything. hardly enough, most of the time. but there's no choice but to go on, is there?"

- rand al'thor, in robert jordan's "a crown of swords"

"wounds to the pride are remembered long after wounds to the flesh."

- bair, in robert jordan's "a crown of swords"

"do what you must, then pay the price for it. it was refusal to admit the debt, refusal to pay, that often turned necessity to evil."

- in robert jordan's "a crown of swords"

"men sometimes bear pain they do not have to as a badge of their pride. and their foolishness."

- nandera, in robert jordan's "a crown of swords"

"it was always better to know than to be ignorant, but sometimes ignorance was much more comfortable."

- in robert jordan's "a crown of swords"

"practicality sent her here instead, not fear of the forbidden. she had done what was not done before, and she was certain she would again should it become necessary. do what you must, then pay the price for it."

- in robert jordan's "a crown of swords"

"i will believe you until i learn you’ve lied to me, and i will trust you until you show you don’t deserve it."

- egwene al'vere, in robert jordan's "a crown of swords"

"you have the courage of three men. and the sense of a child on leading strings. why is it that as a man's courage goes up, his sense goes down?"

- faile, in robert jordan's "a crown of swords"

"being careless where you knew it did not matter could lead to being careless where it did. worse, you could discover you had been wrong about where it mattered. the weak must be bold cautiously."

- in robert jordan's "a crown of swords"