"men would not follow you unless they knew you were ready to face the same dangers and hardships they did."

- in robert jordan's "knife of dreams"

"i felt i owed you an apology and a warning. i’m not a hearts and flowers kind of man, i don't do romance. my tastes are very singular. you should steer clear of me."

- christian, in e.l. james' "fifty shades of grey"

"truth has more shadings than you might think, and distance often distorts truth into something very different from the facts."

- sareitha, in robert jordan's "knife of dreams"

"finding a murderer was a joy, far more satisfying than settling a boundary dispute. it was the most heinous of crimes, the theft of what could never be recovered, all the years that would never be lived, all that might have been done in them."

- in robert jordan's "knife of dreams"

"...a way of dealing with pain. they embraced it, gave themselves over to it without fighting or even trying to hold back screams. perhaps that would help... that way the pain could be cast off without keeping its hold on you."

- in robert jordan's "knife of dreams"

"when fire threatens the trees, we do not run away and hope that the flames will not follow us. we fight. and we dare not run from it."

- loial, in robert jordan's "knife of dreams"

"a good general... brave, but not overly brave. he won't get himself killed just to show how brave he is."

- furyk karede, in robert jordan's "knife of dreams"

"a reputation was a fine thing when it enhanced your bargaining power, but only a fool went looking for fights."

- in robert jordan's "knife of dreams"

"just because a thing is a certain way, doesn't mean it should be that way, even if it has been for a long time."

- tuon, in robert jordan's "knife of dreams"

"he had to do it. he was not particularly brave, but he had learned about bravery watching humans, watching them hang on no matter how strong the winds grew, fight when they had no hope, fight and win because they fought with desperate courage."

- in robert jordan's "knife of dreams"

"logic is always applicable to the real world, but only a novice would think the real world can be applied to logic. ideals MUST be first principles. NOT the mundane world."

- miyasi, in robert jordan's "knife of dreams"

"the first lesson is what questions to ask. the second, and just as important, is when and how to ask."

- thom merillin, in robert jordan's "knife of dreams"

"as well ask why water is wet and sand dry, child. put your mind on what is possible rather than why some things are not."

- turanine, in robert jordan's "knife of dreams"

"when there were no good choices, you had to choose the one that seemed least wrong."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"men never knew when to keep their mouths shut. telling a man to be quiet only made him gossip all the harder, just to close friends he could trust, to be sure, as if they in turn would not tell everyone who would listen."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"acknowledging the truth could never be a betrayal, yet she needed to remember. you could forget who you were if you forgot where you came from."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"anger made for hasty decisions and rash words that sometimes were hard to take back."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"change came so slowly you never noticed it creeping up on you, or far too fast for comfort, but it came. nothing stayed the same, even when you thought it did. or hoped it would."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"even a slim branch is better than no branch when you’re drowning. i'd rather try than trust to hope until I go under."

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

"it's when you don't make plans that you wish you had."

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

"...never lost a war. battles, yes, but never a war. when they lose a battle, they sit down and work out what they did wrong, or what the enemy did right. then they change what needs changing for them to win."

- rand al'thor, in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"people never really changed, yet the world did, with disturbing regularity. you just had to live with it, or at least live through it. now and then, with luck, you could affect the direction of the changes, but even if you stopped one, you only set another in motion."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"when people HAD to obey you in one thing, they always found ways to wriggle away on others, and the more they were forced to obey, the more places they found for wriggling away. It was a natural balance you could not escape."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"yet even oaths of fealty left room for the most loyal people doing the worst possible thing in the belief that it was in your best interest. and people who had been coerced into their oaths could be adept at spotting the gaps and leeways."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"always plan ahead, but worry too hard over next year, and you can trip over tomorrow."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"the hand of justice requires motive and proof."

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

"straightforward is not always the best way. sometimes, certain things must be done behind masks, for safety."

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

"for some who swear an oath, whatever is not forbidden is permitted, and whatever is not commanded can be ignored. others take actions they believe will help their liege without first asking permission."

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

"truth almost always did come out in the end, but by the end, truth was often so wrapped around with rumors and speculation and absolute lies that most people never did believe it."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"if her enemies believed she was afraid, they would only grow bolder. and stronger. cowardice was the sort of rumor that stuck like greasy mud; you never could wash it off completely."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"a ruler, or one who sought to rule, was not allowed the slightest suggestion of weakness or tears, not in public. she could not afford to let anyone see her apparently seeking comfort in a hug."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"i have to do what i can, not worry over what i can't."

- rand al'thor, in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"better not to ask. when you ask questions, then you have to hear the answers whether you want to or not."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"that was the trouble with agreeing to advise someone. even when you managed to set all the conditions you could wish for—most of them, anyway—you still had to come sooner or later when they called."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"fear is a useful spur to the wits, and to determination, when well controlled. if we have no fear of our enemies, that leaves only contempt, and contempt leads to the enemy’s victory." - masuri, in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"strategy and tactics. learn the ground, learn your enemy, and if you could not win one way, you found another.

strategy. think to the future. do the unexpected.

tactics. put your opponent off balance."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"

"some said that turnabout was fair play, but she had never believed in fighting fair. either you fought, or you did not, and it was never a game. fairness was for people standing safely to one side, talking while others bled. unfortunately, there was little she could do beyond trying to find a way to balance events. Balance was not at all the same as fairness."

- in robert jordan's "crossroads of twilight"