In my writing, I strive for a lyrical beauty somewhere between Tolkien at his best and Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf.
I like to be wherever interesting things are happening. It’s a terribly bad habit of mine.
Many will advise you to dig for the truth, but you must never, never do that. I have dug. I have seen what lies below, and I would not wish that upon the worst of you.
If you’re looking for guarantees in life, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.
Blaming the dead for our mistakes never accomplishes much.
It was naught but a flesh wound.
Instead, you must strive to be calm, even if a hundred ravening enemies are snapping at your heels. Empty your mind and allow it to become like a tranquil pool that reflects everything around it and yet remains untouched by its surroundings.
They do not care if they are trapped or not, for we cannot hurt them.
I own a book, he thought, delighted.
The universe was so beautiful it hurt. So very, very beautiful. And yet, at the same time, so full of ugliness. Some born of the inexorable demands of entropy; some born of the cruelty that seemed innate to all sentient beings. And none of it made any sense. It was all glorious, horrible nonsense, fit to inspire both despair and numinosity.
As difficult as it is, you have to learn to put aside your troubles and concentrate entirely on the task at hand. Find peace within yourself and let your actions flow from there.
She took the fork. “Thank you,” she said, solemn. “All good weapons deserve a name,” said Tornac. “Especially magical ones. What would you call this one?” Essie thought for a second and then said, “Mister Stabby!
May Mister Stabby always bring you good fortune.
That’s not fair,” Eragon said. “I can’t use that spell, not without my sword flaring up like a bonfire.
Then Valdr showed them a nest of sleeping starlings, and Eragon could feel their dreams flickering in their minds, fast as the blink of an eye. At first, Valdr’s emotion was one of contempt – the starlings’ dreams seemed tiny, petty, and inconsequential – but then his mood changed and became warm and sympathetic, and even the smallest of the starlings’ concerns grew in importance until it seemed equal to the worries of kings.
Always you get into trouble when I am not with you. His smile widened. And when you are? I eat the trouble before it eats you.
Maybe,” said Thane, “we aren’t as clubfooted as you are.
It’s not my fault my father had a habit of seducing milkmaids wherever he went.
I would rather let a thousand vipers bite me before I would agree to serve you.” And she spat into the air. His chuckle echoed throughout the room once more: the sound of a man who feared nothing, not even death. “We shall see.
Understanding begets empathy and compassion for even the meanest beggar.
To know who you are without any delusions or sympathy is a moment of revelation that no one experiences unscathed. Some have been driven to madness by that stark reality. Most try to forget it. But as much as the name will give others power, so you may gain power over yourself, if the truth doesn’t break you.