The best Book Quotes (Page 16)

He knew nothing of earls and castles; he was quite ignorant of all grand and splendid things; but he was always lovable because he was simple and loving. To be so is like being born a king.

Everything was not as picturesque when seen near by, as it looked from a distance. She had found idleness and poverty and ignorance where there should have been comfort and industry.

Dreams were a treacherous ground on which to build.

Pain was as much a part of knighthood as were swords and shields.

I am going to clout you in the ear so hard your head will turn around backwards, and you'll spend the rest of your life looking at where you've been.

A hedge knight must hold tight to his pride. Without it, he was no more than a sellsword.

Better a beggar than a thief.

All men are fools, and all men are knights, where women are concerned.

Egg has the truth of it. Aerion's quite the monster. He thinks he's a dragon in human form, you know. That's why he was so wroth at that puppet show. A pity he wasn't born a Fossoway, then he'd think himself an apple and we'd all be a deal safer, but there you are.

Why give a horse to a man who cannot ride?

A Hedge Knight is the truest kind of knight, Dunk. Other Knights serve the Lords who keep them, or from whom they hold their lands, but we serve where we will, for men whose causes we believe in. Every Knight swears to protect the weak, but we keep the vow the best, I think.

"A great battle is a terrible thing," the old knight said, "but in the midst of blood and carnage, there is sometimes also beauty, beauty that could break your heart."

Hard things only grow harder if you put them off.

"Outwitted by a boy of ten." Dunk looked at Egg and silently mouthed the words "clout in the ear". The boy grinned.

Is that gallantry I smell, or just stupidity? The two scents are much alike, as I recall.

My brothers have my measure when it comes to fighting and dancing and thinking and reading books, but none of them is half my equal at lying insensible in the mud.

Dunk the lunk, thick as a castle wall.

Oak and iron, guard me well, or else I'm dead, and doomed to hell.

The summers have been shorter since the last dragon died, and the winters longer and crueler.

Never say goodbye, because goodbye means going away - and going away means forgetting.

The soil of a man's heart is stonier; a man grows what he can and tends it.

Maybe she'll learn something about what death really is, which is where the pain stops and the good memories begin. Not the end of life but the end of pain.

There is no gain without risk, perhaps no risk without love.

Only children tell the whole truth, you know. That's what makes them children.

Life sucks, then you die.

That lesson suggests that in the end, we can only find peace in our human lives by accepting the will of the universe.

Hey police? I just saw the world's oldest, slowest kid climbing into Pleasantview Cemetery. Looked like he was dying to get in. Yeah, looked like a grave matter to me. Kidding? Oh no, I'm in dead earnest. Maybe you ought to dig into it.

And the most terrifying question of all may be just how much horror the human mind can stand and still maintain a wakeful, staring, unrelenting sanity.

I don't think children ever forget the lies their parents tell them.

"Oh, about beer I never lie," Crandall said. "A man who lies about beer makes enemies."

It's like many other things in life, Ellie. You keep on the path and all's well. You get off it and the next thing you know you're lost if you're not lucky.

Faith is a great thing, and really religious people would like us to believe that faith and knowing are the same thing, but I don't believe that myself. Because there are too many different ideas on the subject. What we know is this: When we die, one of two things happens. Either our souls and thoughts somehow survive the experience of dying or they don't. If they do, that opens up every possibility you could think of. If they don't, it's just blotto. The end.

You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.

You see, one loves the sunset when one is so sad.

I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.

Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

Life breaks us, Teft. Then we fill the cracks with something stronger.

Do not let your assumptions about a culture block your ability to perceive the individual, or you will fail.

I have found, through painful experience, that the most important step a person can take is always the next one.

"I kind of lost track of time..."
"For two hours?"
Elend nodded sheepishly. "There were books involved."

"Good men don't become legends," he said quietly.
"Good men don't need to become legends." She opened her eyes, looking up at him. "They just do what's right anyway."

Life before Death.
Strength before Weakness.
Journey before Destination.

A man was defined not by his flaws, but by how he overcame them.

"I swear, my dear. Sometimes our conversations remind me of a broken sword."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Sharp as hell," Lightsong said, "but lacking a point."

Unknowing ignorance is preferable to informed stupidity.

It's easy to believe in something when you win all the time... the losses are what define a man's faith.

Somehow, we'll find it. The balance between whom we wish to be and whom we need to be. But for now, we simply have to be satisfied with who we are.

You should try not to talk so much, friend. You'll sound far less stupid that way.

But you can't kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent that one thing you've never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope.

Mocking a woman is like drinking too much wine. It may be fun for a short time, but the hangover is hell.