"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"