"no wonder people were so secretive with their craft. it wasn't just about preventing competition. the more you knew about the process, the less wondrous and more ordinary it became."

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

"sometimes, to see what was at the bottom of a cloudy rain barrel, you needed to stir the water to bring up what was at the bottom."

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

"like a river... calm and placid when not agitated, but a furious and deadly current when squeezed too tightly."

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

"each day is a battle. each day i refuse to bend means something."

- egwene al'vere, in robert jordan's/brandon sanderson's "the gathering storm"

"for some there is less freedom than for others. It does not matter whether we choose or are chosen. What must be, must be. my power and influence are meaningless against fate."

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

"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"