Quotes can be so inspiring or they can even be the exact message you need to hear on a specific day. Many are already well-known, perhaps even quotes by fantasy authors. However, I wanted to compile a few quotes by authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Brandon Sanderson, Nnedi Okorafor, and George R.R. Martin.
Nnedi Okorafor
Author of Binto, Akata Witch, Akata Warrior, Who Fears Death, Zahrah the Windseeker, Lagoon, Remote Control, and more
“They say that when faced with a fight you cannot win, you can never predict what you will do next.”
“However, just because something isn’t surprising doesn’t mean it’s easy to deal with.”
“My father didn’t believe in war. He said war was evil, but if it came he would revel in it like sand in a storm.”
“You are not crazy. You’re just ready to change.”
“Silence is the best answer to a fool.”
“Funny how all things people don’t understand seem to be cursed.”
“Use your powers for good instead of evil.”
by Nnedi Okorafor
Brandon Sanderson
Author of the Mistborn Series, the Stormlight Archive, Rythm of War, Steelheart, and more.
“Sometimes a hypocrite is nothing more than a man in the process of changing.”
“Accept the pain but don’t accept that you deserved it.”
“In turn, the only way to live without failure is to be of no use to anyone. Trust me, I’ve practiced.”
“The man who wants you to trust him is the one you must fear the most.”
“It’s easy to believe in something when you win all the time…The losses are what define a man’s faith.”
“Mocking a woman is like drinking too much wine. It may be fun for a short time, but the hangover is hell.”
“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.”
by Brandon Sanderson
George R.R. Martin
Author of A Game of Thrones, Fire and Blood, the Winds of Winter, a dance with Dragons, a Clash of Kings, and more.
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen, The man who never reads lives only once.”
“…a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.”
“Fear cuts deeper than swords.”
“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness.”
“Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it.”
“People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when t’s served up.”
by George R.R. Martin
J. R.R. Tolkien
author of… we already know 😉
“It is useless to meet revenge with revenge; it will heal nothing.”
“His grief he will not forget; but it will not darken his heart, it will teach him wisdom.”
“I was talking aloud to myself. A habit of the old: they choose the wisest person present to speak to.”
“What a pity that Bilbo did not stab that vile creature, when he had a chance!”
“Pity? It was pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and mercy: not to strike without need. And he has been well rewarded, Frodo. Be sure that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity.”
“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.”
“The treacherous are ever distrustful.”
“Justice is not Healing. Healing cometh only by suffering and patience, and maketh no demand, not even for Justice.”
“The wise speak only of what they know.”
“All that is gold does not glitter. Not all those who wander are lost.”
by J.R.R. Tolkien
Final Thoughts
Some quotes are perfect reminders on certain days, perhaps when we are down and see a particular quote that comes to us at the right time. Others confirm what we have already experienced many times.
Seeing certain quotes that confirm what we already know or have experienced show us that we are not alone, that others probably go through similar things.
To me, quotes are more than just quotes, they serve more than just stating the obvious or putting into words a truth. In some cases, they help us relate, understand, or they remind us that we’re not alone with whatever we are dealing.
Estelle
Hi Christi, so good to read fresh new wisdom!
It fills the places where the cliches have left a void
.
Leaving a legacy, or following in the footsteps is hard work but with the help of wisdom, you soon find a way.
Thank you for a very good read!
Christine
Hi Estelle,
I like what you wrote, that new wisdom fills the places where clichés have left a void.
Thank you for your comment!
Zvezdan
An excellent article that makes everyone think and self-examine. I especially liked Brandon Sanderson’s quote about women – “laughing at women is like drinking more wine, it may be interesting now but it’s hell later” Thank you for this inspiring article and I’m sure it will benefit many as it did me. 🙂 I wish you success and good health.
Christine
Thank you, Zvezdan!
And the same to you 🙂
Femi
Hi Christine,
I could relate well to the last quote you shared. I didn’t read the book but I watched the movie- The Lord of the rings. The story of Bilbo Bargins was more detailed tho in the Trilogy- The Hobbit.
“What a pity that Bilbo did not stab that vile creature, when he had a chance!”
“Pity? It was pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and mercy: not to strike without need. And he has been well rewarded, Frodo. Be sure that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity.”
The quotes you shared are powerful ones. I seldom write down quotes by authors when I read books or when I see them somewhere- billboards, online and what have you.
Great content!
Christine
Hi Femi,
Sometimes, when I’m reading a book, I write down a quote that resonates with me, and I keep it on a post-it as a daily reminder for whatever I need it for.
Some of these quotes here are indeed powerful and memorable, the one about justice was also very powerful, I thought – “Justice is not Healing. Healing cometh only by suffering and patience, and maketh no demand, not even for Justice.”
Thanks for your comment!
Alex Chivers
Hi Christine, Not really familiar with the first two authors. My favorite quotes I think are those by Brandon Sanderson.
“The man who wants you to trust him is the one you must fear the most.”
“Mocking a woman is like drinking too much wine. It may be fun for a short time, but the hangover is hell.”
I think these are the quotes that will be memorable for me. I will have to look out for some of Brandon Sanderson’s books I think.
Seems like his books could be full of these sorts of lines.
Anne-Caroline
Hello Christine!
I love quotes, while some challenge you to change, others uplift you in times of sorrow. As you explain so well in this article, quotes are powerful to remind us that we are not alone in struggling in life.
2 quotes by Brandon Sanderson made me smile because the author says “trust me” and then states to be careful of people who want you to trust them?! I thought that was funny!
“In turn, the only way to live without failure is to be of no use to anyone. Trust me, I’ve practiced.”
“The man who wants you to trust him is the one you must fear the most.”
So should we fear him? 😉
Thank you for sharing these quotes!
Anne-Caroline
Christine
Hi Anne-Caroline,
I’m glad you enjoyed this post! 🙂
Thank you for your comment!
Ceci
Hi Christine,
These are beautiful inspirational quotes. They definitely help us to relate. I find most of Brandon Sanderson’s quotes really relatable but if I had to choose one, it will be “Accept the pain, but don’t accept you deserved it”. It is so liberating and uplifting…..
Two others from this list are “Fear cuts deeper than swords” by Georg R.R. Martin , and “It is useless to meet revenge with revenge; it will heal nothing” by J.R.R Tolken
Thanks for this list of great quotes!
Ceci
Christine
Hi Ceci,
I also loved the one by J.R.R. Tolkien, it is so true and I feel that many do not apply it, especially in the justice system…
Thank you for your comment!