Robert Ryan > Quotes

“To the south, swords flashed and blood watered the trodden earth instead of rain. To the north, armies marched, the pounding of their boots the drum of death, their banners clouding the sky with the shadow of evil. In the west, the races of humanity were smitten as metal is beaten between hammer and anvil. There, in their homeland, they possessed only ruined dreams, gnawing hunger and soul-eating poverty. The east alone offered hope, and thither they fled. But hope burned to ash, and was blown back in their faces as a choking wind.”
― Robert Ryan, The Seventh Knight

“A man makes many fears, draws them out of the very air and gives them form.”
― Robert Ryan, Fate of Kings

“Leadership was as much about giving an impression of surety as it was of making the right decisions.”
― Robert Ryan, Swords of Shadow

“It was the cycle of nature, and humanity, that at times evil rose”
― Robert Ryan, Swords of Fire

“Have I got a plan? Are hills hard to climb? Of course I have a plan. And a brilliant one.” “What is it, then?” Asana asked. The little man shrugged. “My plan is to make it up as I go. That’s always worked well for me in the past.”
― Robert Ryan, Swords of Wizardry

“he who proclaims his righteousness stalks as a wolf among sheep. He who acknowledges his faults walks the straight path toward the Kingdom of Light.”
― Robert Ryan, Sorcery Forged

“According to the prophecy, when the staff of the rebel archdruid breaks, dragons will burn the skies once more.”
― Robert Ryan, Sorcery Forged

“A name is a history of actions. Some carry the weight of mountains.”
― Robert Ryan, Fate Forged

“When choice is taken away, a person will do what is left, no matter the risks.”
― Robert Ryan, Swords of Shadow

“There are dangers, and then there are dangers. We are forced to do now what I would rather not, but life is like that.”
― Robert Ryan, The Seventh Knight

“There was no point in seeking expertise if you did not pay attention to it when you got it.”
― Robert Ryan, The Pale Swordsman

“enjoyed the company, and smell, of the books.”
― Robert Ryan, Battle Forged

“They have ruled since then with an iron fist. Tribe is set against tribe. That way they fight each other and don’t unite to overthrow the shamans. Poverty is rife. Superstition abounds. The sciences of building, medicine, farming and many others have regressed. The people are lied to about everything, and they know it, but fear to speak lest the nazram are sent to their homes. Traitors are called heroes, and villains are put forward for veneration. The truth is made to stand on its head, and lies are spoken unashamedly as the truth. Does this sound familiar to you? It should. It all happened in your time too, before Chen Fei rose to power.”
― Robert Ryan, Swords of Shadow

“A man makes many fears, draws them out of the very air and gives them form. But what will be, will be. You cannot worry about what might happen. That only gives your fears life. Instead, concentrate on the task at hand. Think of that only. Consequences will come after. That is their proper place. If you think of both the task at hand as well as the future, well, then you’re fighting two battles instead of one. And likely enough you’ll win neither.”
― Robert Ryan, Fate of Kings

“he knew what every lòhren had felt before him: temptation. And he knew he must always be on his guard. Power was a lure, a trap for the unwary, a golden path that led to blackness.”
― Robert Ryan, King’s Last Hope: The Complete Durlindrath Trilogy

“The air is heavy with lament. The trees weep, and the stones in the earth keen their long-remembered grief.”
― Robert Ryan, Battle Forged

“to make real change, or to create something from nothing, was the hardest thing of all. To take something that already existed, and to transform it, was much easier.”
― Robert Ryan, King’s Last Hope: The Complete Durlindrath Trilogy

“Traitors are called heroes, and villains are put forward for veneration. The truth is made to stand on its head, and lies are spoken unashamedly as the truth. Does this sound familiar to you?”
― Robert Ryan, Swords of Shadow

“How could civilizations of such sophistication rise, and then fall to be forgotten so that not even their name remained?”
― Robert Ryan, Battle Forged

“death.”
― Robert Ryan, Swords of Shadow

“It was a call to his brethren.”
― Robert Ryan, Sorcery Forged

“yet they deserted Olekhai and left him to the wrath of Shulu Gan who returned to the city after an errand. Shulu”
― Robert Ryan, Swords of Empire