DarkHeraldMage

“Whenever the rich find they've been bested by one of a "lower" heritage, they vent their wrath on others whom they deem undeserving of mercy, or kindness or understanding, let alone a chance to prove their innocence—and forget about individual worth; in the eyes of the rich, we are all the same: valueless fodder, so much human flotsam for them to treat with as much disregard or contempt as they please.”
― Mercedes Lackey, Sword of Ice and Other Tales of Valdemar

“The brave could admit fear. Fear was part of being human. Only the coward and the fool denied fear.”
― Mercedes Lackey, Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar

“If you ask these heroes why they risked their lives, don’t do it on a stand in front of a crowd while you give them their medal. Because the truth is, they likely didn’t do it for their country. Or even for their ideals. Consistently, across cultures, eras, and ideologies, war heroes report the same simple motivation. They did it for their friends. In the frenzied anarchy of destruction, loyalty to causes and kingdoms alike tends to fall to the chaos. But the bond between people, well, that’s stronger than steel. If you want to create heroes, don’t give them something to fight for. Give them someone to fight for.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Tress of the Emerald Sea

“You know, your genes aren't your destiny. You in particular. You have what you have, whatever you were born with, but you get to decide what to do with that. There's nobody telling you what those genes mean, what they're supposed to make you.”
― Ann Leckie, Translation State