Quotes from Half the World

“Take everything as a compliment, you can never be insulted.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“Those with bad luck should at least attempt to balance it with good sense.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“Fools boast of what they will do. Heroes do it.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“There's no disappointment like getting what you've always wanted...”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“I always thought of being together as the end of the work. Turns out it's where the work starts.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“The trouble with being able to lift heavy things is that when heavy things need lifting folk step out of the way and smile at you.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“Where do we find allies?"
Father Yarvi smiled. "Among our enemies, where else?”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“You want a thing when you can't have it. When you get it you suddenly sprout doubts. Then when you think you might lose it you find you need it worse than ever.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“...the more you learn the more you understand the size of your own ignorance.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“Pain is the best schoolmaster, as you will soon discover.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“Why the mad hair, girl?"
"Because damn you," growled Thorn, "that's why.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“If you could kill a man by frowning at his back, the Breaker of Swords would have fallen bloody through the Last Door that day, but a frown is no blade, and Thorn's hatred cut no one but her.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“Facing an enemy on the battlefield took courage, but you had your friends beside you. Standing alone against your friends, that was a different kind of courage.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“Grom-gil-Gorm," she said softly as she rode between Laithlin and Yarvi. "Breaker of Swords." Mother Isriun's horse shied back out of her way. "Maker of Orphans." Thorn reined in beside him, his frowning face lit red by the blazing light of her elf-bangle, and she leaned from her saddle to whisper.
"Your death comes.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“There aren’t many good things don’t have a splinter of selfishness in them somewhere, after all.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“You keep an oath not for the oath but for yourself”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“Heresy and progress often look much alike.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“You are lucky, Thorn. You are very lucky."
"Doubtless. Not every girl gets to be stabbed through the face."
"And by a duke of royal blood too!”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“There is a time for wondering what a man wants,” said Fror, no fear at all in his. “And there is a time for splitting his head. This is that second time.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“It was either bluster or look weak and Thorn reckoned that no choice at all, so she puffed herself up and snapped out, "How did you get the scar?"
"How did you get the scar?"
Thorn frowned. "What scar?"
"That's the face the gods gave you?" And with the faintest of smiles the Vansterman went back to coiling rope.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“Killing a man by accident had made her a villain. Killing another on purpose had made her a hero. But all she could do was frown at the body as they dragged it out, and feel there was something very odd in all this.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“A man who gives all his thought to doing good, but no thought to the consequences …” Father Yarvi lifted his withered hand and pressed its one crooked finger into Brand’s chest. “That is a dangerous man.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“Time hasn't been kind."
"Time never is. A fighter keeps fighting even so. Thought you were a fighter?”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“The gods hate those who plan badly, and help those with good friends, good swords, and good sense.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“Enemies are the price of success.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“The gods hate those who plan badly, and help those with good friends, good swords, and good sense. Worry less about what the gods might do and more about what you can, that’s my advice.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“You keep an oath not for the oath but for yourself.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

“Vengeance only walks a circle. From blood, back to blood. Death waits for us all. You can follow your path to her bent under a burden of rage. I did, for many years. You can let it poison you.” He took a long breath, and let it sigh away. “Or you can let it go.”
― Joe Abercrombie, quote from Half the World

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Popular quotes

“Thalia had been turned into a pine tree when she was 12. Me... well, i was doing my best not to follow her example. I had nightmares about what Poseidon might turn me into if i were ever in the verge of death—plankton, maybe. Or a floating patch of kelp.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Sea of Monsters

“And when you're alone there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.”
― Dr. Seuss, quote from Oh, The Places You'll Go!

“This is a man in need. His fear is naked and obvious, but he's lost. . . Somewhere in his darkness.
His eyes wide and bleak and tortured. I can soothe him. Join him briefly in the darkness and bring him into the light.”
― E.L. James, quote from Fifty Shades of Grey

“Shh," he said. "Look."
"Where?"
"Can't you see'um?" he whispered. "All the Terabithians standing on tiptoe to see you."
"Me?"
"Shh, yes. There's a rumor going around that the beautiful girl arrving today might be the queen they've been waiting for.”
― Katherine Paterson, quote from Bridge to Terabithia

“Of course you can have a true Shadowhunter name," Will said. "You can have mine."
Tessa stared at him, all black and white against the black-and-white snow and stone. "Your name?"
Will took a step toward her, till they stood face-to-face. Then he reached to take her hand and slid off her glove, which he put into his pocket. He held her bare hand in his, his fingers curved around hers. His hand was warm and callused, and his touch made her shiver. His eyes were steady and blue; they were everything that Will was: true and tender, sharp and witty, loving and kind. "Marry me," he said. "Marry me, Tess. Marry me and be called Tessa Herondale. Or be Tessa Gray, or be whatever you wish to call yourself, but marry me and stay with me and never leave me, for I cannot bear another day of my life to go by that does not have you in it.”
― Cassandra Clare, quote from Clockwork Princess

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About BookQuoters

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.