Aidan Hinkle > Aidan's Quotes

“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.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“A man’s emotions are what define him, and control is the hallmark of true strength. To lack feeling is to be dead, but to act on every feeling is to be a child.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“I believe that my own morality—which answers only to my heart—is more sure and true than the morality of those who do right only because they fear retribution.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“As I fear not a child with a weapon he cannot lift, I will never fear the mind of a man who does not think.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance

“The wisest of men know that to render an insult powerless, you often need only to embrace it.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance

“A woman's mind is her most precious weapon. It must not be employed clumsily or prematurely. Much like the aforementioned knife in the back, a clever gibe is most effective when it is unanticipated.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“I find nothing more frightening than a man trying to do what he has decided is important. Very little in the world has ever gone astray—at least on a grand scale—because a person decided to be frivolous”
― Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance

“Beauty was out there, all around. To create art was not to capture it, but to participate in it.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance

“A leader did not slump. A leader was in control. Even when he least felt like he controlled anything. Especially then.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance

“To be human is to seek beauty, Shallan. Do not despair, do not end the hunt because thorns grow in your way.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance

“At times, it seems to me that to be human is to want that which we cannot have”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“To age truly was to suffer the ultimate treason, that of one’s body against oneself.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance

“Words aren’t meant to be kept inside, you see. They are free creatures, and if locked away will unsettle the stomach.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“I fear not a child with a weapon he cannot lift, I will never fear the mind of a man who does not think.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance

“Philosophy? What good is that?” Isn’t it the art of saying nothing with as many words as possible?”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“Books can store information better than we can—what we do that books cannot is interpret. So if one is not going to draw conclusions, then one might as well just leave the information in the texts.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“The only time you seem honest is when you’re insulting someone!”
“The only honest things I can say to you are insults.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance

“Using a fetching face to make men do as you wish is no different from a man using muscle to force a woman to his will. Both are base, and both will fail a person as they age.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance

“He'd never been an optimist. He saw the world as it was, or he tried to. That was a problem, though, when the truth he saw was so terrible.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“There is no greater indication of youth, perhaps, than the desire for everything to be as it should.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“Weakness can imitate strength if bound properly, just as cowardice can imitate heroism if given nowhere to flee.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“Those dear to me took fright for my safety and, perhaps, my sanity. Kings, they explained, do not walk like beggars for hundreds of miles. My response was that if a beggar could managed the feat, then why not a king? Did they think me less capable than a beggar?
Sometimes I think that I am. The beggar knows much that the king can only guess. And yet who draws up the codes for begging ordinances? Often I wonder what my experience in life--my easy life following the Desolation, and my current level of comfort--has given me of any true experience to use in making laws. If we had to rely on what we knew, kings would only be of use in creating laws regarding the proper heating of tea and the cushioning of thrones.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“We never lack men and women who wish to lead.” “True,” Dalinar said, “but we do lack ones who are good at it.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“When we are young,” Jasnah said, “we want simple answers. There is no greater indication of youth, perhaps, than the desire for everything to be as it should. As it has ever been.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“You're young," Teft said. "I'm old."
"That makes you wiser, presumably?"
"Damnation no. The only thing it proves is that I've more experience staying alive than you.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“Death comes to all. But life comes first. Cherish it. Death is the destination. But the journey, that is life. That is what matters.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“What is a man’s life worth?” Dalinar asked softly.
“The slavemasters say one is worth about two emerald broams,” Kaladin said, frowning.
“And what do you say?”
“A life is priceless,” he said immediately, quoting his father.
Dalinar smiled, wrinkle lines extending from the corners of his eyes. “Coincidentally, that is the exact value of a Shardblade. So today, you and your men sacrificed to buy me twenty-six hundred priceless lives. And all I had to repay you with was a single priceless sword. I call that a bargain.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“A good officer was one who accepted orders and fulfilled them, even when he disagreed. But the mark of a great officer was that he also tried to innovate and offer appropriate suggestions.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“At times, it seems to me that to be human is to want that which we cannot have. For some, this is power. For me, it is peace.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

“Don't try to stop yourself from feeling. You'll hate who you become.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings