"a soldier. a veteran. some men gained experience through years spent living. other men gained experience through months spent watching their friends die."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"he knew well that the tighter one tied a bale, the sharper the snap of the cords when they were cut."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"winning didn't necessarily mean living. and following orders often didn't mean either winning or living."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"better to fix the problem before leaving than to be stranded halfway to the destination."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"chaos was the most deadly when you made assumptions about what it could and couldn’t infect."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"a difficult decision is not always a decision where both sides are equally matched."

- selucia, in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"being in control wasn't so much about the power you had, but the power you implied that you had."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"respond to demands with silence, respond to challenges with questions."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"people did not respond to anger. they did not respond to demands. silence and questions, these were far more effective."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"the only neat battles were the ones in stories or history books. those had been cleansed and scoured by the abrasive hands of scholars looking for conciseness: 'agressor won, fifty-three thousand killed' or 'defender stood, twenty thousand fallen.'"

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"he treated all with equity. a person didn't gain stature by being a king or queen; one gained stature by keeping to one's oaths and doing one's duty."

- tam al'thor, in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"i've known men who, when challenged, always turn to their fists for answers. a bully is a bully, whether she uses the strength of her arm or other means."

- tam al'thor, in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"one might have thought that the years would also have taught her patience, but it had done the opposite. the older she grew, the less inclined she was to wait, for she knew she didn't have many years left."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"unfortunately, her years had taught her that no measure of planning or determination could make life turn out as you wanted. that didn't stop her from being annoyed when it didn't."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"maybe that was just age speaking. she was old, and that was making her increasingly intolerant of foolishness."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"it didn't show fear to prepare your retreat ahead of time. it was just plain good strategy."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"each lash she endured, each pain she suffered, was a victory. and victory was always a reason for happiness, no matter how one’s pride or one’s skin burned."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"sometimes, we are so concerned with the things we have done that we do not stop to consider the things we have not."

- amys, in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"it is not making excuses to explain fact, and it is not cowardice to be cautious about a difficult task."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"there were fights you could win, and others you just had to leave for someone else."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"you need to make some decisions. in the days coming, you'll need to have a side and you'll need to know why you've chosen it."

- in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"you press us for results and yet you deny us the tools we need to get them. whether you name it torture, questioning, or baking, i call it foolishness."

- cadsuane, in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"