How did a man like you ever end up at a table of negotiation?” “I was trained by a surly Mistborn, a sarcastic Terrisman, and a group of disrespectful thieves,” Elend said, sighing. “Plus, on top of that, I was a fairly insufferable person to begin with. But, kindly continue with your insult – I didn’t mean to interrupt.
Stupid water, ruining my enjoyment of swimming.
That a thing is hated is not proof that it’s great art, but the lack of hatred is certainly proof that it is not.
Very well, you two,” Pattern said. “No mating. NO MATING.” He hummed to himself, as if pleased, then sank down onto a plate.
He needed more than vague explanations and abstract ideas – but those were the very soul of art. If you could explain something perfectly, then you’d never need art. That was the difference between a table and a beautiful woodcutting. You could explain the table: its purpose, its shape, its nature. The woodcutting you simply had to experience.
A pox of unique human diseases – many of which cause an uncomfortable swelling – come upon you!
Troublemaking is just about the only thing I’m good at.
You had to adapt. Move. Change. That was good, but it could also threaten identity, connection, and sense of purpose.
Because people were people, and if there was one thing you could count on, it was that some of them would be weird. Or rather that all of them would be weird when circumstances happened to align with their own individual brand of insanity. That.
You could not arrive at excellence by the average of these people. Excellence was an individual quest, not a group effort.
We may feel in control, but we never truly are unless we understand people. Controlling our environment is no longer about blocking the wind, it’s about knowing why the serving lady was crying last night, or why a particular guard always loses at cards.
Oh, I’m not objecting, I’d let a confused dishwasher marry us.
Maybe I’ll remove dying from my list of tasks to do this week.
It’s okay. I’m a rhinoceros astronaut.” She was silent a moment. “Oh, sparks. You’re going delusional.” “No, no. I mean, I’m surprising. I’ll surprise him. What’s the most surprising thing you can think of? Bet it’s a rhinoceros astronaut.
Thievery was the most authentic form of flattery. What could be more satisfying than knowing the things you possessed were intriguing, captivating, or valuable enough to provoke another man to risk everything to obtain them? This was Kelsier’s purpose in life, to remind people of the value of the things they loved. By taking them away.
Sometimes, you have to destroy something in order to build something better.
You never know how much you’ll like something until you try it out.
Breath. A man’s breath was his life. Exhaled, bit by bit, back into the world. Kaladin breathed deeply, eyes closed, and for a time that was all he could hear. His own life. In, out, to the beating of the thunder in his chest. Breath. His own little storm.
When you can’t have both freedom and safety, boy, which do you choose?” Elend was silent. “I make my own choice,” he finally said. “And I leave the others to make their own as well.
Scared to go onward, but terrified to go back to what you were.