Stephen King Quotes

Guy Gavriel Kay's 'Tigana' is, in my opinion, one of the best, if not the best fantasy novel ever written. It's beautifully written, the characters are unforgettable, the worldbuilding is exquisite.

He who makes another powerful ruins himself.

Of course, in a novel, people's hearts break, and they die and that is the end of it; and in a story this is very convenient. But in real life we do not die when all that makes life bright dies to us.

The power to do things for people is also the power to do things to people.

Oh, no. It costs a lot more than your life. To murder innocent people?" says Peeta. "It costs everything you are.

Free people can treat each other justly, but they can't make life fair. To get rid of the unfairness among individuals, you have to exercise power over them. The more fairness you want, the more power you need. Thus, all dreams of fairness become dreams of tyranny in the end.

In the struggle between those seeking power there is no middle course.

Politics are about power; we cannot evade that truth or its consequences. We dream of a better world but it is in Utopia - that is, nowhere.

The press always wants to know how many people will be killed or how much it will cost, but the answers to those questions are not knowable.

Do you know what happens with people who cannot govern themselves? That's right. Others come in to govern for them.

Why must you always try to be omnipotent, and shove things about? Tragic things happen sometimes that we just have to submit to.

Furthermore, when citizens are all almost equal, it becomes difficult for them to defend their independence against the aggressions of power.

There are some people who imagine that they can disarm their enemy by complacent flattery. They are wrong. The world has always belonged to the stronger and will belong to them for many years to come. Men only respect those who make themselves respected. Whoever becomes a lamb will find a wolf to eat him.

The tragedies that are being brought about vastly outweigh the benefits that are being achieved.

To know the pains of power, we must go to those who have it; to know its pleasures, we must go to those who are seeking it: the pains of power are real, its pleasures imaginary.

When you write a novel, you make other people see your imaginary friends.

war is not just a victory or loss ... People die.

All political institutions are manifestations and materializations of power; they petrify and decay as soon as the living power of the people ceases to uphold them.

What if what you do to survive kills the things you love?

Washington knows that it is not safe to kick people who are down until you find out what their next stop will be.

I love fantasy. I grew up reading fantasy. But, I wanted to put a somewhat different spin on it. The whole trope of absolute good versus absolute evil, which was wonderful in the hands of J.R. Tolkien, became cliche and rote in the hands of the many Tolkien imitators that followed.

whether they'll write the story of my life as a tragedy or an epic fantasy... I was wondering if it was going to be a kiss at the end, or sad music and a sweeping camera shot over the fields I once roamed freely. I'm hoping for the kiss, but expecting the sweeping camera shot.

There is no more expensive thing than a free gift.

Their fate rested entirely on me. I could save them by telling the truth. I could destroy them by lying. No one should have that much power.

Oppressed people are frequendy very oppressive when first liberated. And why wouldn't they be? They know best two positions. Somebody's foot on their neck or their foot on somebody's neck.