Alan of Rosby Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 I think what separates a good from a great writer is good sense or wisdom in their books. This is not as trivial or as easy as it sounds because common sense is not so common, to quote Voltaire. But I find ASOIAF to be replete with them. My favourite one is a Loras Tyrell quote concerning Renly. When the sun has set, no candle can replace it I was at a literary festival and the wise and erudite Will Self was speaking, and I remember him telling the audience that you will have only one, just one, real love affair in your life. The other romantic and sexual relationships in your life are just filling a vacuum. I think this is what Loras Tyrell is saying that same thing in so many words. What are your favourite nuggets of wisdom in the series? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daccu65 Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Back to the very first book: "Can a man still be brave when he's afraid? That is the only time a man can be brave." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shireen Purratheon Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Sometimes I think everyone is just pretending to be brave and none of us really are. Maybe pretending is how you get brave, I don't know. Grenn the Aurochs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winter's Breath Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one. Old stories are like old friends. You have to visit them from time to time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YOVMO Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 20 hours ago, Alan of Rosby said: I think what separates a good from a great writer is good sense or wisdom in their books. This is not as trivial or as easy as it sounds because common sense is not so common, to quote Voltaire. But I find ASOIAF to be replete with them. My favourite one is a Loras Tyrell quote concerning Renly. When the sun has set, no candle can replace it I was at a literary festival and the wise and erudite Will Self was speaking, and I remember him telling the audience that you will have only one, just one, real love affair in your life. The other romantic and sexual relationships in your life are just filling a vacuum. I think this is what Loras Tyrell is saying that same thing in so many words. What are your favourite nuggets of wisdom in the series? I love this thread. Kill the boy and let the man be born. " “There are no true knights, no more than there are gods. If you can’t protect yourself, die and get out of the way of those who can. Sharp steel and strong arms rule this world, don’t ever believe any different.” Sansa backed away from him. “You’re awful.” “I’m honest. It’s the world that’s awful. Now fly away, little bird, I’m sick of you peeping at me.” “Do you perchance recall what I said to you that day your father sat the Iron Throne?” The moment came back to her vividly. “You told me that life was not a song. That I would learn that one day, to my sorrow.” She felt tears in her eyes, but whether she wept for Ser Dontos Hollard, for Joff, for Tyrion, or for herself, Sansa could not say. “Is it all lies, forever and ever, everyone and everything?” off the top of my head these, but I may come back as the day goes on. I hope this thread gets a ton of responses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumy Stark Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” “Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word.” “The things we love destroy us every time, lad. Remember that.” “Death is so terribly final, while life is full of possibilities.” “Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well.” “People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it's served up.” “The brightest flame casts the darkest shadow.” “A good act does not wash out the bad, nor a bad act the good. Each should have its own reward.” “A hound will die for you, but never lie to you. And he'll look you straight in the face.” “We look at mountains and call them eternal, and they seem... but in the course of time, mountains rise and fall, rivers change their courses, starts fall from the sky, and great cities sink beneath the sea. Even gods die, we think. Everything changes.” “The greatest fools are ofttimes more clever than the men who laugh at them.” “We look up at the same stars and see such different things." Many more, too. Love this thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SerLinginBerry Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 "There is no creature half so terrifying as a truly just man." -Varys, in regards to Stannis That one has always resonated with me. If someone is inconsistent (in this case, lawmakers, enforcers), you never know what kind of punishment you'll walk away with. If they are 100% by the book, you should be terrified the moment they catch you because you're not talking your way out of shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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