Patrick Rothfuss Quotes

So this is the difference between telling a story and being in one, he thought numbly, the fear.

As my father used to say: “There are two sure ways to lose a friend, one is to borrow, the other to lend.”

It was better to be gentle and polite. It was the worst sort of selfishness to force yourself upon the world.

It was one of those perfect autumn days so common in stories and so rare in the real world.

You don't seem the superstitious type.
"I'm not," Ben said. "I'm careful. There's a difference."

"It's the questions we can't answer that teach us the most. They teach us how to think. If you give a man an answer, all he gains is a little fact. But give him a question and he'll look for his own answers.

But no. There is a difference between the truth and what we wish were true.

There are few things as nauseating as pure obedience.

Clean, quick, and easy as lying. We know how it ends practically before it starts. That’s why stories appeal to us. They give us the clarity and simplicity our real lives lack.

My father had a dark glimmer in his eye as he moved behind her. “Old?” He spoke in a low voice as he began to rub her shoulders again. “Woman, I have a mind to prove you wrong.”
She smiled a wry smile. “Sir, I have a mind to let you.”

Upon him I will visit famine and a fire.
Till all around him desolation rings
And all the demons in the outer dark
Look on amazed and recognize
That vengeance is the business of a man.

There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.

A tinker’s debt is always paid:
Once for any simple trade.
Twice for freely given aid.
Thrice for any insult made.

I was heavily influenced by my first attempt at a novel. I started a fantasy novel back in high school, and.... well... it really sucked. It was a plotless, clichéd mess. When I sat down to write this book, I wanted to make something much, much better. I wanted to write something that was pretty much the opposite of that first novel. Also, I read Cyrano De Bergerac, right before I started writing the book. Cyrano's character reminded me of some important things, namely, what it really means to be a tragic hero. You don't need a lot of the cliché fantasy trappings to have that cool character. I also read Giacomo Casanova's memoirs soon after starting this project. That opened my eyes to how interesting an autobiography could be, provided the person telling it has a way with words and has lived a sufficiently adventurous life....

Piss on etiquette," Threpe said petulantly. "Etiquette is a set of rules people use so they can be rude to each other in public."