Christian > Christian's Quotes

“Using words to talk of words is like using a pencil to draw a picture of itself, on itself. Impossible. Confusing. Frustrating ... but there are other ways to understanding.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“It's hard to be wrongfully accused, but it's worse when the people looking down on you are clods who have never read a book or traveled more than twenty miles from the place they were born.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“Call a jack a jack. Call a spade a spade. But always call a whore a lady.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“However, while being able to think about two things at the same time is a terribly convenient, the training it takes to get there is frustrating at best, and at other times rather disturbing.

I remember one time I looked for the stone for almost an hour before I consented to ask the other half of me where I'd hidden it, only to find I hadn't hidden the stone at all. I had merely been waiting to see how long I would look before giving up. Have you ever been annoyed and amused with yourself at the same time? It's an interesting feeling, to say the very least.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“Too much truth confuses the facts. Too much honesty makes you sound insincere”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“I needed to let them know they couldn't hurt me. I've learned that the best way to stay safe is to make your enemies think you can't be hurt.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“It doesn't eat meat." I said. "It's a herbivore. It's like a big cow."
Denna looked at me and started to laugh. Not hysterical laughter, but the helpless laughter of someone who's just heard something so funny they can't help but bubble over with it. She put her hands over her mouth and shook with it, the only sound was a low huffing that escaped through her fingers.
There was another flash of blue fire from below. Denna froze midlaugh, then took her hands away from her mouth. She looked at me, her eyes wide, and spoke softly with a slight quaver in her voice, "Mooooo.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“Chronicler picked up his pen, but before he could dip it, Kvothe held up a hand. "Let me say one thing before I start. I've told stories in the past, painted pictures with words, told hard lies and harder truths. Once, I sang colors to a blind man. Seven hours I played, but at the end he said he saw them, green and red and gold. That, I think, was easier than this. Trying to make you understand her with nothing more than words. You have never seen her, never heard her voice. You cannot know.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“He was giving me enough rope to hang myself with. Apparently he didn't realize that once a noose is tied it will fit one neck as easily as another.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“That was another lesson I had learned perhaps too well: people meant pain.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“Now, this pair," he waved the shoes he held, "are new. They haven't been walked a mile, and for new shoes like these I charge a talent, maybe a talent and two." He pointed at my feet. "Those shoes, on the other hand, are used, and I don't sell used shoes."

He turned his back on me and started to tidy his workbench rather aimlessly, humming to himself...

I knew that he was trying to do me a favor, and a week ago I would have jumped at the opportunity for free shoes. But for some reason I didn't feel right about it. I quietly gathered up my things and left a pair of copper jots on his stool before I left.

Why? Because pride is a strange thing, and because generosity deserves generosity in return. But mostly because it felt like the right thing to do, and that is reason enough.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“I guess I'm destined to be loveless”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“Do not mistake me for my mask. You see light dappling on the water and forget the deep, cold dark beneath.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“I learned to love the feel of good words.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“Words have to find a man's mind before they can touch his heart, and some men's minds are woefully small targets.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“Isn't that the way of the world? We want the sweet things, but we need the unpleasant ones.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“All stories are true.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“The trouble is, when you gift a girl with flowers your choice can be construed so many different ways. A man might give you a rose because he feels you are beautiful, or because he fancies their shade or shape or softness similar to your lips. Roses are expensive, and perhaps he wishes to show through a valuable gift that you are valuable to him.

When a man gives you a rose what you see may not be what he intends. You may think he sees you as delicate or frail. Perhaps you dislike a suitor who considers you sweet and nothing else. Perhaps the stem is thorn, and you assume he thinks you likely to hurt a hand too quick to touch. But if he trims the thorns you might think he has no liking for a thing that can defend itself with sharpness. There's so many ways a thing can be interpreted.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“Power is okay, and stupidity is usually harmless. Power and stupidity together are dangerous".”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“Ambrose turned on his heel and stormed off, but before he made it through the door, Elodin burst out singing:

‘He's a well-bred ass, you can see it in his stride!
And for a copper penny he will let you take a ride!”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“Emotions by their very nature are not reasonable things.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“Laziness is one of my best characteristics”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“I was wondering, Auri. Would you mind showing me the Underthing?"

Auri looked away, suddenly shy. "Kvothe, I thought you were a gentleman," she said, tugging self-consciously at her ragged shirt. "Imagine, asking to see a girl's underthing." She looked down, her hair hiding her face.

I held my breath for a moment, choosing my next words carefully lest I startle her back underground. While I was thinking, Auri peeked at me through the curtain of her hair.

"Auri," I asked slowly, "are you joking with me?"

She looked up and grinned. "Yes I am," she said proudly. "Isn't it wonderful?”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“...“Bitter.”
“That’s how you know it’s real medicine,” I said. “If it
tasted good it would be candy.”
“Isn’t that the way of the world?” she said. “We want the
sweet things, but we need the unpleasant ones.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind