Quotes from Shadows of Self

Brandon Sanderson ·  383 pages

Rating: (48.5K votes)


“She had a way of pouring everything of herself into what she did. When she fought, she was the blade. When she loved, she was the kiss. In that regard, she was far more … human than any I have known.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“Every man had to die. He’d always found it odd that so many died when they were old, as logic said that was the point in their lives when they’d had the most practice not dying.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“The law is not something holy, son. It’s just a reflection of the ideals of those lucky enough to be in charge.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“I ain’t drunk,” Wayne said, sniffling. “I’m investigatin’ alternative states of sobriety.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“Proper loafing requires company.One man lying about is being idle; two men lying about is a lunch break.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self



“Owning things of value is secondary to creating things of value where none once existed.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“Spectacles. They were kind of like a hat for smart people.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“Of course not. I’d have shot you right in the head, Wayne.”
“You’re a good friend,” Wayne said. “Thanks, Wax.”
“You’re the only person I know that I can cheer up by promising to kill him.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“Greet every morning with a smile. That way it won’t know what you’re planning to do to it?”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“Don’t make trouble at the pub tonight, Wayne,” the man intoned in response. “My temper is really short.” “Temper?” Wayne said, passing him. “That’s a funny name for it, mate, but if the ladies like you givin’ silly names to your body parts, I ain’t gonna say nothin’.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self



“No, freedom was not lack of responsibilities—it was being able to do what was right, without having to worry if it was also wrong.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“Cleaning the wound is often more painful
than the cut itself.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“Looks like we’re going to need a new prime suspect, Wax,” Wayne said. “This one downright refuses to not be dead already.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“I have known you for an entire year now, Lord Waxillium,” Steris said. “I can accept you for who you are, but I am under no illusions. Something will happen at our wedding. A villain will burst in, guns firing. Or we’ll discover explosives in the altar. Or Father Bin will inexplicably turn out to be an old enemy and attempt to murder you instead of performing the ceremony. It will happen. I’m merely trying to prepare for it.” “You’re serious, aren’t you?” Wax asked, smiling. “You’re actually thinking of inviting one of my enemies so you can plan for a disruption.” “I’ve sorted them by threat level and ease of access,” Steris said, shuffling through her papers.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“Money is meaningless.” Waxillium perked up. “What?” “Only expectation has value as currency, Waxillium,” Uncle Edwarn said. “This coin is worth more than the others because people think it is. They expect it to be. The most important things in the world are worth only what people will pay for them. If you can raise someone’s expectation … if you can make them need something … that is the source of wealth. Owning things of value is secondary to creating things of value where none once existed.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self



“I need you to stay behind as we go into those slums,” Wayne said, determined to impress solemnity into his voice. “It’s not that I don’t want your help. I do. It’s just going to be too dangerous for you. You need to stay where I know you’re safe. No arguments. I’m sorry.”
“Wayne,” Wax said, walking past. “Stop talking to your hat and get over here.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“The immortal demigod took a throaty slurp of her beer, then slammed the mug down onto the table, grinning like a four-year-old who had been paid in cookies to rat out her sister.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“Wayne shrugged. “Guess anytime I find a corpse and it ain’t my fault they’re dead, I feel a little relieved.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“It made sense. But rich folk, they had a different word for the crapper. They’d call it a “commode” or a “washroom.” That way, when someone asked for the crapper, they knew it was a person they needed to oppress.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“If Wayne isn’t in here somewhere already,” Wax said, “I’ll eat your handbag and try to burn it for Allomantic power.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self



“What I need to do,” Wayne said, “is get the whole city drunk.” “Or, you know, advocate workers’ rights to bring down working hours, improve conditions, and meet a base minimum of pay.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“He’d always found it odd that so many died when they were old, as logic said that was the point in their lives when they’d had the most practice not dying. He”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“You had to adapt. Move. Change. That was good, but it could also threaten identity, connection, and sense of purpose.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“You,” she said, spearing Wayne in the chest with a finger. “I thought I told you not to come back.” “I thought I ignored you.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“Well, you know,” Wayne said. “It’s like I often say…”

“Greet every morning with a smile. That way it won’t know what you’re planning to do to it?”

“No, not that one.”

“Until you know it ain’t true, treat every woman like she has an older brother what is stronger than you are?”

“No, not … Wait, I said that?”

“Yes,” Wax said, turning back to his notes. “It was a very chivalrous moment for you.”

“Rusts. I should really write these things down.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self



“Wayne…” Wax said. “You know she doesn’t actually like you.” “You always say that, but you’re just not seein’ the truth, Wax.” “She tries to kill you.” “To keep me alive,” Wayne said. “She knows I live a dangerous life. So, keepin’ me on my toes is the best way to make sure I stick around.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“It's better if I have a hat...You wanna know a guy? Put on his hat." -Wayne.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“Waxillium had seen some odd things in his life. He’d visited koloss camps in the Roughs, even been invited to join their numbers. He’d met and spoken with God himself and had received a personal gift from Death. That did not prepare him for the sight of a pretty young woman’s chest turning nearly transparent, one of the breasts splitting and offering up the hilt of a small handgun.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“The law is not something holy, son. It's just a reflection of the ideals of those lucky enough to be in charge.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“Your grasp of the language is startling,” Wax said, “considering how you so frequently brutalize it.” “Ain’t nobody what knows the cow better than the butcher, Wax.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self



About the author

Brandon Sanderson
Born place: in Lincoln, Nebraska, The United States
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“Food is the distance you can travel in a day, and the cold you can withstand at night.”
― Catherine M. Wilson, quote from The Warrior's Path


“You can't blame a match for a house made of straw”
― Scott Westerfeld, quote from Goliath


“The dull parts of life spread out in your memory and crowd out the exciting parts until they just seem like little flashes. (Ron Weasley)”
― G. Norman Lippert, quote from James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing


“So maybe the difference isn't language. Maybe it's this: animals do neither good nor evil. They do as they must do. We may call what they do harmful or useful, but good and evil belong to us, who chose to choose what we do. The dragons are dangerous, yes. They can do harm, yes. But they're not evil. They're beneath our morality, if you will, like any animal. Or beyond it. They have nothing to do with it.
We must choose and choose again. The animals need only be and do. We're yoked, and they're free. So to be with an animal is to know a little freedom...”
― Ursula K. Le Guin, quote from The Other Wind


“Mais qu'importe l'éternité de la damnation à qui a trouvé dans une seconde l'infini de la jouissance!”
― Charles Baudelaire, quote from Paris Spleen


Interesting books

The Spring of the Ram
(2.2K)
The Spring of the Ra...
by Dorothy Dunnett
The Pursuit of Love & Love in a Cold Climate
(4.8K)
The Pursuit of Love...
by Nancy Mitford
Wittgenstein's Nephew
(2.9K)
Wittgenstein's Nephe...
by Thomas Bernhard
Physik
(46.2K)
Physik
by Angie Sage
The Lady Elizabeth
(22.2K)
The Lady Elizabeth
by Alison Weir
The Thousandfold Thought
(8.9K)
The Thousandfold Tho...
by R. Scott Bakker

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.