George R.R. Martin · 355 pages
Rating: (37.6K votes)
“The snail may leave a trail of slime behind him, but a little slime will do a man no harm, while if you dance with dragons, you must expect to burn.”
“A great battle is a terrible thing," the old knight said, "but in the midst of blood and carnage, there is sometimes also beauty, beauty that could break your heart.”
“all men are fools, and all men are knights, where women are concerned.”
“And the crow once called the raven black.”
“Never refuse a cup of wine or a horn of ale,” Ser Arlan had once told him, “it may be a year before you see another.”
“Some words are wind, ser. Some are treason.”
“Pain was as much a part of knighthood as were swords and shields.”
“Why give a horse to a man who cannot ride?”
“Oak and iron, guard me well, or else I'm dead, and doomed to hell.”
“Hard things only grow harder if you put them off.”
“The sword was not the kingdom, he says.”
“Reading books by candlelight will make you blind."
"I need the candlelight to see the words, ser."
"Do you want a clout in the ear?”
“Even a hedge knight has his honor.”
“Trueborn children are made in a marriage bed and blessed by the Father and the Mother, but bastards are born of lust and weakness.”
“Sometimes it seemed as though he’d thumped his head on half the doors in Westeros, not to mention every beam in every inn from Dorne up to the Neck.”
“Every boy dreams of serving in the Kingsguard.”
“All men are fools, and all men are knights where women are concerned.”
“Better a beggar than a thief.”
“Is that gallantry I smell, or just stupidity? The two scents are much alike, as I recall.”
“I dreamed of you and a dead dragon, Egg's brother Daeron said to him. A great beast, huge, with wings so large they could cover this meadow. It had fallen on top of you, but you were alive and the dragon was dead.
And so he was, poor Baelor. Dreams were a treacherous ground on which to build.”
“But peasant's pride is lordling's shame.”
“Three good men dead, to save a hedge knight's foot.”
“May the Warrior grant me a smooth course and a quick victory.”
“One foe at a time, that was what the old man always said.”
“Good armor and a good horse means a good ransom if I unseat him.”
“We are one. Man, horse, lance, we are one beast of blood and wood and iron.”
“Would you rather die with honor intact or live with it besmirched?”
“I know that eggs do well to stay out of frying pans.”
“The summers have been shorter since the last dragon died, and the winters longer and crueler.”
“Todo lo que he aprendido hoy en la clase sobre Shakespeare es que a veces tienes que enamorarte de la persona equivocada para encontrar a la correcta. Una lección más útil hubiera sido que a veces la persona adecuada no te corresponde. O que a veces la persona adecuada es gay. O que a veces tú mismo no eres la persona adecuada.
Gracias por nada, Shakespeare.”
“Un “perché” è sempre pericoloso – disse Haplo – mette in forse vecchi, confortevoli sistemi di vita, costringe la gente a pensare a quello che fa, anziché farlo semplicemente senza pensare. Non c'è da stupirsi se le persone ne hanno paura
- Io credo che il pericolo non risieda tanto nel chiedere “perchè” quanto nel credere di essere giunti alla risposta definitiva – osservò Alfred come parlando a se stesso.”
“No, indeed, 'pig' is very expressive. And an excellent description of a fellow who flirts with his brother's beloved.”
“Know must look the same. He'd never thought he'd be someone with tired eyes. Never thought, he'd stare across a fire at a girl who had them, a girl who'd lied to him and insulted him and, really, when it came down to it, ruined his life. He never thought he'd want to keep staring at her. (The Frog Prince Story.”
“I arise from dreams of thee
In the first sweet sleep of night,
When the winds are breathing low,
And the stars are shining bright.
I arise from dreams of thee,
And a spirit in my feet
Has led me -who knows how?
To thy chamber-window, Sweet!
The wandering airs they faint
On the dark, the silent stream -
The champak odours fail
Like sweet thoughts in a dream;
The nightingale's complaint,
It dies upon her heart,
As I must die on thine,
O beloved as thou art!
Oh lift me from the grass!
I die! I faint! I fail!
Let thy love in kisses rain
On my lips and eyelids pale.
My cheek is cold and white, alas!
My heart beats loud and fast;
Oh press it close to thine again,
Where it will break at last!”
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.