Brandon Sanderson

“I never did thank you," Breeze said."For what, Lord Breeze?""For pulling me out of myself," Breeze said. "For forcing me to get up, a year ago, and keep going. Ifyou hadn't helped me, I don't know that I would ever have gotten over . . . what happened."Sazed nodded. On the inside, however, his thoughts were more bitter. Yes, you saw destruction anddeath, my friend. But the woman you love is still alive. I could have come back too, if I hadn't losther. I could have recovered, as you did.”

“I am mountains that crush. I am waves that crash. I am storms that shatter. I am the end.”

“How totally unexpected," he declared, then proceeded to faint from blood loss.”

“Yelling a battle cry—more to motivate himself than frighten his foes—Lukel grabbed the table leg and swung it at a soldier. The wood bounced off the man's helmet, but the blow was powerful enough to daze him, so Lukel followed it with a solid blow to the face. The soldier dropped and Lukel grabbed his weapon.Now he had a sword. He only wished he knew how to use it.”

“I had Eondel teach me," Raoden said. "Back when I was trying to find ways to prove that my father's laws were foolish. Eondel chose fencing becausehe thought it would be most useful to me, as a politician. I never figured I'd end up using it to keep my wife from slicing me to pieces.”

“AT first Raoden stayed away from the library, because it reminded him of her.Then he found himself drawn back to it—because it reminded him of her.”

“Oh, blessed Domi!" the Aon exclaimed, approaching quickly."Ashe!" she said, wiping her eyes with a quivering hand, numbed by shock. "You never use the Lord's name!""If He has brought me to you, then He has His first Seon convert," Ashe said, pulsing excitedly.”

“Have you ever tried to bribe a Korathi priest, Lukel?" Shuden asked pointedly.Lukel looked around uncomfortably. "I'd rather not answer that question, thank you.”

“I'm from southern Arelon, Princess," Ahan said, reaching for some more clams. "To us, round is beautiful. Not everyone wants their women to look like starving schoolboys.”

“You're a mean old man, Your Grace.""And that is the way it should be." Roial informed. "Mean young men are trivial, and kindly old men boring. Here, let me get us something to drink.”

“Sarene finally released him, wiping her eyes, disappointed in herself for crying again. Kiin simply placed a large hand on her shoulder and led her into the dining room, where the rest of the family sat around the table, even Adien.Lukel had been talking animatedly, but he cut off as he saw Sarene. "Speak the name of the lion," he said, quoting a Jindoeese proverb, "and he will come to feast.”

“a depressed person doesn't want you to try and cheer them up. It makes us sick.”

“Raoden looked up at his friend. "We're not dead, Galladon, and we're not damned. We're just unfinished.”

“Raoden regarded himself in a small piece of polished steel. His shirt was yellow dyed with blue stripes, his trousers were bright red, and his vest a sickly green. Over all, he looked like some kind of confused tropical bird. His only consolation was that as silly he looked, Galladon was much worse.The large, dark-skinned Dula looked down at his pink and light green clothing with a resigned expression."Don't look so sour, Galladon." Raoden said with a laugh. "Aren't you Dulas supposed to be fond of garish clothing?“ "That's the aristocracy—the citizens and republicans. I'm a farmer; pink isn't exactly what I consider a flattering color."Then he looked up at Raoden with narrow eyes. "If you make even one comment about my resembling a kathari fruit, I will take off this tunic and hang you with it."Raoden chuckled. "Someday I'm going to find that scholar who told me all Dulas were even-tempered, then force him to spend a week locked in a room with you, my friend.”

“Did I hear your correctly, my dear?" Ahan asked with a shaky voice. "You're going to go into Elantris?""Yes." Sarene said."I need something to drink," Ahan decided, unstoppering his wine flask.”

“Besides—only people from Arelon are taken by the Shaod. It an take Teoish people, but only if they're living in Arelon at the time. Oh, and it takes the occasional Dula as well.""I hadn't noticed.”

“I still doubt it will work.""You'd doubt the sun's rising if you weren't proven wrong each day," Raoden said with a smile.”

“You're getting better, my lady.""Don't patronize me.""No, really, Your Highness. When you started painting five years ago, I could never tell what it was you were trying to depict.""And this is a painting of . ."Ashe paused. "A bowl of fruit?" he asked hopefully.Sarene sighed in frustration._______________________________"Beautifully—which is more than I can say for the painting." He paused for a moment. "It's a horse, right?"Sarene scowled."A house?" he asked."It is not a bowl of fruit either, my lord," Ashe said. "I already tried that." "Well, she said it was one of the paintings in this room," Lukel said. "All we have to do is keep guessing until we find the right one.""Brilliant deduction, Master Lukel." Ashe said.”

“Raoden turned to regard the large Dula. "What does it matter? It's not like we have anything pressing to do. It's actually quite pleasant up here—you should just sit back and enjoy it."An ominous crash came from the clouds above them, and Raoden felt a wet drop splat against his head."Fantastic," Galladon grumbled. "I'm enjoying myself already.”

“I'm Teoish," Sarene said, successfully spearing something that looked like a marinated piece of shrimp. "We're all this tall.""Father's Teoish too, Kaise," Daorn said. "And you know how tall he is.""But father's fat," Kaise pointed out. "Why aren't you fat too, Sarene?”

“It is you!" the man exclaimed. "We thought you weren't coming for another week!""Ashe," Sarene mumbled, "who is this lunatic and what does he want with me?”

“Ten years was not enough. Stone shouldnot crumble after just a decade of neglect. The filth should not have piled up so quickly—not with so few inhabitants, most of whom were incapacitated. It was as if Elantris were intent on dying, a city committing suicide.”

“They tried boiling books, but that didn't work very well.""I'm surprised they haven't tried boiling one another.""Oh, it's been tried," Galladon said. "Fortunately. something happens to us during the Shaod—apparently the flesh of a dead man doesn't taste too good. Kolo? In fact, it's so violently bitter that no one can keep it down.""It's nice to see that cannibalism has been so logically ruled out as an option," Raoden said dryly”

“Galladon paused for a moment, then laughed. "Does nothing frighten you, sule?""Actually, pretty much everything here does—I'm just good at ignoring the fact that I'm terrified. If I ever realize how scared I am, you'll probably find me trying to hide under those cobblestones over there.”

“The strong lines of the woman's face bespoke hard-won wisdom and courage, and somehow that made watching her more difficult. If such a woman could be defeated by Elantris, what hope was there for Raoden?”

“I'm Galladon, from the sovereign realm of Duladel. I'm most recently from Elantris, land of sludge, insanity, and eternal perdition. Nice to meet you.”

“The look of disbelief that ran across the boy's face was somehow more disturbing than the despair it had replaced. This creature had given up hope long ago; he probably begged out of habit rather than expectation.”

“So, using his pride like a shield against despair, dejection, and-most important—self-pity, Raoden raised his head to stare damnation in the eyes.”

“People don't read anymore. And, when they do, they don't read books like this one, but instead read books that depress them, because those books are seen as important. Somehow, the Librarians have successfully managed to convince most people in the Hushlands that they shouldn't read anything that isn't boring.It comes down to Biblioden the Scrivener's great vision for the world — a vision in which people never do anything abnormal, never dream, and never experience anything strange. His minions teach people to stop reading fun books, and instead focus on fantasy novels. That's what I call them, because these books keep people trapped. Keep them inside the nice little fantasy that they consider to be the 'real' world. A fantasy that tells them they don't need to try something new.After all, trying new things can be difficult.”

“If I should die,” Dalinar said, “then I would do so having lived my life right. It is not the destination that matters, but how one arrives there.”“The Codes?”“No. The Way of Kings.”“That storming book.”

“Here, in Alethkar, men often spoke of the legends -- of mankind's hard-won victory over the Voidbringers. But when weapons created to fight nightmares were turned against common soldiers, the lives of men became cheap things indeed.”

“I want you to go back into the barrack and tell the men to come out after the storm. Tell them to look up at me tied here. Tell them I’ll open my eyes and look back at them, and they’ll know that I survived.”

“Algebra ist gut für die Entwicklung. Ungefähr wie Demut, nur mit mehr Faktoren.”

“Meiner Erfahrung nach werden die meisten Probleme im Leben dadurch verursacht, dass entscheidende Informationen fehlen. Viele Leute wissen eben nicht das, was sie wissen müssen. Einige ignorieren die Wahrheit, andere verstehen sie ganz einfach nicht.”

“It's all right Wayne," Waxillium said softly. "I've made a promise. I told Lord Harms I'd return Steris to him. And I will. That is that.""Then I will remain and help," Marasi said. "That is that.""And I could really use some food," Wayne added. "Fat is fat.”

“The mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital ones.”

“Once one becomes a man, he can and must make his own decisions. But I do offer warning. Even a good thing can become destructive if taken to excess.”

“I point out truths when I see them, Brightlord Sadeas. Each man has his place. Mine is to make insults. Yours is to be in-sluts.”

“Everything is a contest. All dealings among men are a contest in which some will succeed and others fail. And some are failing quite spectacularly.”

“The hallmark of insecurity is bravado.”

“There are two kinds of people in this world, son. Those who save lives, and those who take lives.""And what of those who protect and defend? Those who save lives by taking lives?""That's like trying to stop a storm by blowing harder. Ridiculous. You can't protect by killing.”

“Oh, Wax has always been solemn, but when he's at his best, there's a smirk underneath.”

“Elend: I kind of lost track of time…Breeze: For two hours?Elend: There were books involved.”

“Our belief is often strongest when it should be weakest. That is the nature of hope.”

“He smiled despite the grief he felt at the deaths of his men; he smiled because that was what he did. That was how he proved to the Lord Ruler-and to himself-that he wasn't beaten.”

“Have you finally grown so jealous of my impeccable fashion sense that you've decided to have me disposed of?”

“I've found you can ignore half of what Dox tells you and not miss much-except for maybe they occasional complaint that you're spending too much.”

“Honestly, for an evil god of darkness, he certainly can be dull.”

“Plots behind plots, plans behind plans. There was always another secret.”

“Women? Women are like...thunderstorms. They're beautiful to look at, and sometimes they're nice to listen to-but most of the time they're just plain inconvenient.”