David Farland > Quotes

“I'd like to emphasize that when a reader finishes a great novel, he will immediately begin looking for another. If someone loves your book, it increases the chance that he or she will look at mine. So there is no competition between writers. Another writer's success helps build a larger readership for all of us.”
― David Farland

“There is no such thing as an evil genius, as evil in it's self is stupidity.”
― David Farland, The Wizard of Ooze

“We all become lost children at one time or another.When no one else can find us, we must find ourselves.”
― David Farland, Nightingale

“Хиляда удара,нанесени в битка,носят на човек по-малко чест от един-единствен акт на състрадание”
― David Farland, Wizardborn

“Un époux, c'est quelqu'un qui travaille au jardin avec toi et qui te réchauffe la nuit dans le lit conjugal. Un homme qui s'inquiète pour toi quand personne d'autre n'a remarqué que tu n'allais pas bien. Quelqu'un qui te tient la main quand tu es malade ou aux portes de la mort.”
― David Farland, Wizardborn

“There is a danger in exposing yourself to too much vapid art. It can weaken your judgment and erode your sensibilities, until the time comes when you see things that are merely passable, and somehow think that they’re good.”
― David Farland

“Writers change the world one heart, one mind, at a time. That should be enough to keep us going.”
― David Farland

“A wise king does not garner all wit, instead he also allows his cunselors to be wise.”
― david farland, The Runelords

“Whatever your favorite genre is, you can probably trace your love for it back to one single book that really moved you.”
― David Farland, Drawing on the Power of Resonance in Writing

“When you behold the face of pure evil, it will be beautiful.”
― David Farland, The Runelords

“Selon Chondler, conclut-il, il n'existe qu'une seule vertu : la modération. Encore ne faut-il pas la pratiquer avec excès.”
― David Farland, Wizardborn

“Les gens se leurrent, déclara-t-il comme s'il ne voyait pas où elle voulait en venir. Ils ont tellement soif d'amour qu'ils passent leur vie à le chercher. Quand ils croient l'avoir trouvé, ils se persuadent d'avoir mis la main sur un joyau dont les autres ont été assez stupides pour ne pas voir la valeur.”
― David Farland, Wizardborn

“It is better that you die than that you put a stain upon your soul.”
― David Farland, The Wyrmling Horde

“Even the greatest of heroes and men Are less than what they might have been. —a saying of Mystarria”
― David Farland, Worldbinder

“A Writer’s Job is to Guide the Reader through a Stress Exercise. As an author I write fiction because I recognize that I am performing a service to my readers. They are looking for an emotional exercise, and it is my job to deliver. If I write unformed fiction—stories that have no ends, stories that are ambiguous in the end, or stories that have displeasing ends—I’m not fulfilling the trust that readers place in me. I’m not doing the job that they’re paying me for. In such a case, I will rightfully lose my readership.”
― David Farland, Million Dollar Outlines

“Remember, a great tale isn’t just about you.  Ultimately, the reader should close your book and feel that a connection has been made, to realize with wonder and delight that “This story is about me.”
― David Farland, Drawing on the Power of Resonance in Writing

“Your personal tastes are going to be influenced by the stories that you’ve loved the most. So don’t ever try to be “completely” original. It’s a good way to go mad.”
― David Farland, Drawing on the Power of Resonance in Writing

“All successful writers use resonance to enhance their stories by drawing power from stories that came before, by resonating with their readers’ experiences, and by resonating within their own works.”
― David Farland, Drawing on the Power of Resonance in Writing

“If you don’t develop mainstream tastes at any time of your life, it’s not likely that you’ll attract a mainstream audience.”
― David Farland, Drawing on the Power of Resonance in Writing

“The Days stared down at his mug, knowing he’d said too much, needing to say one thing more. ‘Your Lordship, perhaps it is well that you do not value virtue in your friends. You will know not to trust them. And if you are wise, you will not trust yourself.’
‘How so?’ Gabon asked wondering. With each Days twinned to another, they were never alone, never had the luxury of trusting themselves. Gabon wondered if this pairing was really an advantage.
‘Men who believe themselves to be good, who do not search their own souls, most often commit the worst atrocities. A man who sees himself as evil will restrain himself. It is only when we do evil in the belief that we do good that we pursue wholeheartedly.’
Gabon grunted, considering.
‘If I may be so bold, Your Lordship, I’m glad you question yourself. Men don’t become good by practicing an occasional good deed. You must constantly reexamine your thoughts and acts, question your virtue.’
Gabon stared at the thin scholar. The man’s eyes were getting glassy, and he could barely hold his head up. His thinking seemed somewhat clearer than the common drunk’s and he offered his advice in a kind tone. No Days had ever offered Gabon advice before. It was a singular experience.
At that moment, the inn door opened. Two more men entered, both with dark complexions, both with brown eyes. They were dressed as merchants fresh off the road, but both wore rapiers at their side, and both had long knives strapped at their knees.
One man smiled, the other frowned.
Gabon remembered something his father had taught him as a child. ‘In the land of Muyyatin, assassins always travel in pairs. They talk with gestures.’ The Gabon’s father had taught him the assassins’ codes. One man smiling, one man frowning – No news, either good or bad.
Gabon’s eyes flicked across the room, to the two dark man in the far corner. Like himself, they had chosen a secure position, had put their backs to the wall.
One man in the corner scratched his left ear. We have heard nothing.
The newcomers sat at a table on the far side of the room from their compatriots. One man put his hands on the table, palms down. We wait.”
― David Farland, The Runelords

“the wisest writers, those who become most popular, learn to draw upon art and literature in order to create works that speak to audiences more strongly, more deeply, and appeal to a wider network of readers.”
― David Farland, Drawing on the Power of Resonance in Writing

“Readers crave something different, but not completely different.”
― David Farland, Drawing on the Power of Resonance in Writing

“In Khuram it is said that a man with a single knife can kill two thousand men in a single night.”
― David Farland, The Runelords

“Readers often become fans of a genre after discovering one defining work in that genre.”
― David Farland, Drawing on the Power of Resonance in Writing

“There is nothing that a coward hates more than to be reminded of his own weakness.”
― David Farland, Sons of the Oak

“Sharing our pain makes the wound heal faster - Binnesman”
― David Farland

“A good lord earns his keep. He doesn’t just use others, he empowers them. He encourages them. He makes them more than what they could become by themselves.”
― David Farland, Sons of the Oak

“Fools define themselves by what they are, wise men define themselves by what they shall be.”
― David Farland