“... a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“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.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“Bran thought about it. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?'
'That is the only time a man can be brave,' his father told him.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“When you play a game of thrones you win or you die.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. If you would take a man's life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. And if you cannot bear to do that, then perhaps the man does not deserve to die.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“The things we love destroy us every time, lad. Remember that.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“What is honor compared to a woman's love? What is duty against the feel of a newborn son in your arms . . . or the memory of a brother's smile? Wind and words. Wind and words. We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“Why is it that when one man builds a wall, the next man immediately needs to know what's on the other side?”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“And I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples and bastards and broken things.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“Once you’ve accepted your flaws, no one can use them against you.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“If I look back I am lost.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“Every flight begins with a fall.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer and I have my mind...and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone if it is to keep its edge. That's why I read so much Jon Snow.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“Oh, my sweet summer child," Old Nan said quietly, "what do you know of fear?
Fear is for the winter, my little lord, when the snows fall a hundred feet
deep and the ice wind comes howling out of the north. Fear is for the long
night, when the sun hides its face for years at a time, and little children
are born and live and die all in darkness while the direwolves grow gaunt and
hungry, and the white walkers move through the woods”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“Different roads sometimes lead to the same castle.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“Life is not a song, sweetling.
Someday you may learn that, to your sorrow.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“Give me honorable enemies rather than ambitious ones, and I'll sleep more easily by night.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“You are your mother's trueborn son of Lannister."
"Am I?" the dwarf replied, sardonic. "Do tell my lord father. My mother died birthing me, and he's never been sure."
"I don't even know who my mother was," Jon said.
"Some woman, no doubt. Most of them are." He favored Jon with a rueful grin. "Remember this, boy. All dwarfs may be bastards, yet not all bastards need be dwarfs."
And with that he turned and sauntered back into the feast, whistling a tune.
When he opened the door, the light from within threw his shadow clear across the yard, and for just a moment Tyrion Lannister stood tall as a king.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“The things I do for love.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“A bruise is a lesson... and each lesson makes us better.”
― George R.R. Martin, quote from A Game of Thrones
“I have set off and found that there is no end to even the simplest journey of the mind. I begin, and straight away a hundred alternative routes present themselves. I choose one, no sooner begin, than a hundred more appear. Every time I try to narrow down my intent I expand it, and yet those straits and canals still lead me to the open sea, and then I realize how vast it all is, this matter of the mind. I am confounded by the shining water and the size of the world.”
― Jeanette Winterson, quote from Sexing the Cherry
“We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, 'Blessed are they that mourn,' and I accept it. I've got nothing that I hadn't bargained for. Of course it is different when the thing happens to oneself, not to others, and in reality, not imagination.”
― C.S. Lewis, quote from A Grief Observed
“Who doesn't want to just disappear, at some point in the day, in a year, to just step off the map and float?”
― Nick Flynn, quote from Another Bullshit Night in Suck City
“He leaned over her, the sun behind his head making a halo of gold, his face lit by the reflections off the water.”
― Elizabeth Chandler, quote from Evercrossed
“One of the most unattractive human traits, and so easy to fall into, is resentment at the sudden shared popularity of a previously private pleasure. Which of us hasn't been annoyed when a band, writer, artist or television series that had been a minority interest of ours has suddenly achieved mainstream popularity? When it was at a cult level we moaned at the philistinism of a world that didn't appreciate it, and now that they do appreciate it we're all resentful and dog-in-the-manger about it.”
― Stephen Fry, quote from The Fry Chronicles
BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.
We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.
Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.