Patrick Rothfuss Quotes

Inherent power you possess as part of yourself. Granted power is lent or given by other people. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I swear I've never met a man who has your knack for lack of social grace. If you weren't naturally charming, someone would have stabbed you by now. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

The trouble is, when you gift a girl with flowers your choice can be construed so many different ways. A man might give you a rose because he feels you are beautiful, or because he fancies their shade or shape or softness similar to your lips. Roses are expensive, and perhaps he wishes to show through a valuable gift that you are valuable to him.
When a man gives you a rose what you see may not be what he intends. You may think he sees you as delicate or frail. Perhaps you dislike a suitor who considers you sweet and nothing else. Perhaps the stem is thorn, and you assume he thinks you likely to hurt a hand too quick to touch. But if he trims the thorns you might think he has no liking for a thing that can defend itself with sharpness. There's so many ways a thing can be interpreted. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I watched her sleep with the calm contentment of a boy who has no idea of how foolish he is, or what unexpected tragedies the following day will bring. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

The key to staying safe was knowing the rules of the situation. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

So strange and rare. So full of faraway. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

To be both rich and handsome was bad enough. But to have a voice like honey over warm bread on top of that was simply inexcusable. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

It was one of those perfect Autumn days so common in stories and rare in the real world. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

The world is a mess and I just need to rule it. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

My Alar is like the ocean in a storm. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

He spoke gently, laughed often, and never exercised his wit at the expense of others. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Looters become looted, while time and tide make us mercenaries all. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

There is a sort of camaraderie that rarely exists except between men who have fought the same enemies and know the same women. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

By contrast, what did I have to offer? Nothing really. Less now. I was more like a curious stone that is picked up, carried a while, and finally dropped again with the realization that for all its interesting look, it is nothing more than hardened earth. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

No fickleness in flight like that of wind or women's fancy, ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I read that young Netalia Lackless had run away with a troupe of traveling performers. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Last is the door of death. The final resort. Nothing can hurt us after we are dead, or so we have been told. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I have always been most comfortable at night. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

As I lay there, I realized I had been wrong before, this was the most wonderful moment of my life. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

You lack the requisite spine and testicular fortitude to study under me. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I've never really understood the desire people have to quantify a baby. "He's X big and Y long," As if the baby is a fish you're not sure you're going to keep. Or some prize potato you're hoping will win a prize at the county fair. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

THE NAME OF THE WIND marks the debut of a writer we would all do well to watch. Patrick Rothfuss has real talent, and his tale of Kvothe is deep and intricate and wondrous. ~ Terry Brooks

Congratulations. That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen. Ever. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

As with many things, hesitation is better than hurry. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Master Elodin" I said breathing a little hard, "Might I ask you a quick question?"
"Statistically speaking it's pretty likely"..
"May I ask you a question then?"
"I doubt any power known to man could stop you. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I stayed because there was no other place I could learn what I desired. Mere whipping could not keep me away from it."
There are things I desire to learn, and I can only learn them here."
I handed her the hard, dark piece of wood. "If you want me to leave, you must do worse than welts. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Who keeps you safe from the Amyr? The singers? The Sithe? From all that would harm you in the world? Haliax asked with calm politeness, as if genuinely curious as to what the answer might be. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Denna moved through the crowd with slow grace. Not the stiffness that passes for grace in courtly settings, but a natural leisure of movement. A cat does not think of stretching, it stretches. But a tree does not even do this. A tree simply sways without the effort of moving itself. That is how she moved. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

If you're going to have a book full of clever people and nobody ever jokes, it's just not going to ring true to the reader. That said, humor writing is the hardest kind of writing there is. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Finally, say that she was beautiful. That is all that can be well said. That she was beautiful, through to her bones, despite any flaw or fault. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

was the sort of anger that comes to a slow boil inside the hearts of good men who want justice, and finding it out of their grasp, decide vengeance is the next best thing. I ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Nothing but the truth could break me. What is harder than the truth? ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Pride is a foolish thing, but a powerful force ~ Patrick Rothfuss

A lot of people feel that way. That if you didn't pay your dues by being ostracized then you're not *really* a geek.
I don't think that though. It's not an exclusive club that you need to pay some social price to get in. Being a geek is about loving something passionately beyond all reason or sense. And it need not necessarily be related to science fiction, fantas, superheroes, etcetera. You can be a gardening geek, a model train geek, stamp collecting geek, a baby geek ...
It's about enthusiasm, in my opinion.
From his blog RE: Thirty years of D&D ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Still, these days when I daydream about the movie, I don't think about the big picture. It's more fun for me to think of little things that would add to the movie. I like to think the powers that be would let me amuse myself with some small things in order to shut me up while they re-write the screenplay to turn Kvothe into a lesbian, shape-changing unicorn.
~ Patrick Rothfuss

I am no poet. I do not love words for the sake of words. I love words for what they can accomplish. Similarly, I am no arithmetician. Numbers that speak only of numbers are of little interest to me. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Many of the stories centered around me hunting bandits and rescuing young girls. But none of them came terribly close to the truth. No story can move a thousand miles by word of mouth and keep its shape. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I'll admit, I was disappointed to learn that dragons didn't exist. That's a hard lesson for a boy to learn. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Practice makes the master. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Once upon a time," I began. "There was a little boy born in a little town. He was perfect, or so his mother thought. But one thing was different about him. He had a gold screw in his belly button. Just the head of it peeping out.
"Now his mother was simply glad he had all his fingers and toes to count with. But as the boy grew up he realized not everyone had screws in their belly buttons, let alone gold ones. He asked his mother what it was for, but she didn't know. Next he asked his father, but his father didn't know. He asked his grandparents, but they didn't know either.
"That settled it for a while, but it kept nagging him. Finally, when he was old enough, he packed a bag and set out, hoping he could find someone who knew the truth of it.
"He went from place to place, asking everyone who claimed to know something about anything. He asked midwives and physickers, but they couldn't make heads or tails of it. The boy asked arcanists, tinkers, and old hermits living in the woods, but no one had ever seen anything like it.
"He went to ask the Cealdim merchants, thinking if anyone would know about gold, it would be them. But the Cealdim merchants didn't know. He went to the arcanists at the University, thinking if anyone would know about screws and their workings, they would. But the arcanists didn't know. The boy followed the road over the Stormwal to ask the witch women of the Tahl, but none of them could give him an answer.
"Eventually he went to the ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Wilem: 'What is the word for that here? A man who is intimate with both women and men?'
'Lucky?' Denna suggested. 'Tired? Ambidextrous?'
'Ambisextrous,' I corrected. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

He took another swallow of beer. "Are things as bad as they seem? Or have I just gotten old like my da, and now everything tastes a little bitter compared to when I was a boy?" Kote wiped at the bar for a long moment, as if reluctant to speak. "I think things are usually bad one way or another," he said. "It might be that only us older folk can see it." Graham began to nod, then frowned. "Except you're not old, are you? I forget that most times." He looked the red-haired man up and down. "I mean, you move around old, and you talk old, but you're not, are you? I'll bet you're half my age." He squinted at the innkeeper. "How old are you, anyway?" The innkeeper gave a tired smile. "Old enough to feel old. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Knowing your own ignorance is the first step to enlightenment. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I'd like to work with some of the videogame companies for the simple fact that they obviously need some sort of writer's help. I play videogames, and lately it's hard for me to enjoy them because I'm spending all my time cringing at the corny dialogue, thin characters, and glaring plot holes. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

There are some silences that even words cannot drive away. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Oh yes. It was well worth it, doing things the proper way. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Sleep met him like a lover in an empty bed. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Music is a proud, temperamental mistress. Give her the time and attention she deserves, and she is yours. Slight her and there will come a day when you call and she will not answer. So I began sleeping less to give her the time she needed. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I wanted to get inside so badly I could taste it. It probably shows a perverse element of my personality that even though I was finally inside the Archives, surrounded by endless secrets, that I was drawn to the one locked door I had found. Perhaps it is human nature to seek out hidden things. Perhaps it is simply my nature. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Kvothe continued, smiling himself "I see you laugh. Very well, for simplicity's sake, let us assume I am the center of creation. In doing this, let us pass over innumerable boring stories: the rise and fall of empires, sagas of heroism, ballads of tragic love. Let us hurry forward to the only tale of any real importance." His smile broadened. "Mine. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

You know, I could have carried you. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

sooner begun is sooner done ~ Patrick Rothfuss

We have more brilliant fantasy novels than brilliant fantasy movies. Movies and TV are done by committee. But with a novel, it's really just one person running the show. That allows for a clarity and unity of vision that's pretty unique, artistically. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I realize that I cannot say enough. So. Since I cannot say enough, at least I will avoid saying to much. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I ... flipped open the lid, thinking my lute might enjoy the feel of a little sun on its strings. If you aren't a musician, I don't expect you to understand. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

And we sang! Her voice like burning silver, my voice an echoing answer. Savien sang solid, powerful lines, like branches of a rock-old oak, all the while Aloine was like a nightingale, moving in darting circles around the proud limbs of it. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

There was a door, but it was terribly bashful, so Auri politely pretended not to see it. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

It was the sort of anger that comes to a slow boil inside the hearts of good men who want justice, and finding it out oftheir grasp, decide vengeance is the next best thing. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Wisdom precludes boldness. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

And if you had the right sort of mind, the sort of mind that actually sees what it looks at, you might notice that his eyes were odd. If your mind had the rare talent of not being fooled by its own expectations, you might notice something else about them, something strange and wonderful. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Kvothe shook his head. No. It began at the University. I went to learn magic of the sort they talk about in stories. Magic like Taborlin the Great. I wanted to learn the name of the wind. I wanted fire and lightning. I wanted answers to ten thousand questions and access to their archives. But what I found at the University was much different than a story, and I was much dismayed. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

It's hard to be wrongfully accused, but it's worse when the people looking down on you are clods who have never read a book or traveled more than twenty miles from the place they were born. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

There is a vast difference between having some coin and no coin. There is a feeling of helplessness that comes from an empty purse. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I was no stranger to bar fights. You'd think they'd be rare in a place like the University, but liquor is the great leveler. After six or seven solid drinks, there is very little difference between a miller on the outs with his wife and a young alchemist who's done poorly on his exams. They're both equally eager to skin their knuckles on someone else's teeth. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

My parents were never really married, by which I mean they never bothered making their relationship official with any church. I'm not embarrassed by the fact. They considered themselves married and didn't see much point in announcing it to any government or God. I respect that. In truth, they seemed more content and faithful than many officially married couples I have seen since. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

The crickets, too, respect the silence. Their calls are like careful stitches in its fabric, almost too small to be seen. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

It's amazing how much easier it is to think productively when your belly is full. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

One of my favorite artists on Deviantart. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

No, she won't," Bast said smugly. "Because I'm all grown, and I can do whatever I want with my pants. I could light them on fire and I wouldn't get in any trouble at all. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I need you to breathe for me. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

There were tears once or twice. But they were not for the men she had lost or the men she had left. They were quiet tears for herself, because there was something inside her that was badly hurt. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Pride is a foolish thing, but it is a powerful force. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

A heavy purse makes for a light heart ~ Patrick Rothfuss

If you want to write a fantasy story with Norse gods, sentient robots, and telepathic dinosaurs, you can do just that. Want to throw in a vampire and a lesbian unicorn while you're at it? Go ahead. Nothing's off limits. But the endless possibility of the genre is a trap. It's easy to get distracted by the glittering props available to you and forget what you're supposed to be doing: telling a good story. Don't get me wrong, magic is cool. But a nervous mother singing to her child at night while something moves quietly through the dark outside her house? That's a story. Handled properly, it's more dramatic than any apocalypse or goblin army could ever be. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Chronicler wiped the nib of his pen clean, "It's not really my place to comment on the story," he said placidly. "If you say you saw a dragon ... " He shrugged. Kvothe gave him a profoundly disappointed look. "This from the author of The Mating Habits of the Common Draccus? This from Devan Lochees, the great debunker?" "This from Devan Lochees who agreed not to interrupt or change a single word of the story he is recording." Chronicler lay his pen down and massaged his hand. "Because those were the only conditions under which he could get access to a story he very much desired. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

The law of sympathy is one of the most basic parts of magic. It states that the more similar two objects are, the greater the sympathetic link. The greater the link, the more easily they influence each other. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Auri stood, and in the circle of her golden hair she grinned and brought the weight of her desire down full upon the world.
And all things shook. And all things knew her will. And all things bent to please her. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

The boy grows upward, but the girl grows up. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I'm spouting too much sense for you to understand ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Kvothe, Defend yourself well at the University. Make me proud. Remember your father's song. Be wary of folly. Your friend, Abenthy. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

If one student in ten had half his fire I'd teach with a whip and chair instead of chalk and slate. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Patience and propriety. It was the only graceful thing to do. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I HAD BEEN IN Tarbean for years at this point. Three birthdays had slipped by unnoticed and I was just past fifteen. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Apology now is of little consequence," she said, her voice flat and chill as slate. "Anything you say at this point cannot be trusted. You know I am well and truly angry, so you are in the grip of fear.
"This means I cannot trust any word you say, as it comes from fear. You are clever, and charming, and a liar. I know you can bend the world with your words. So I will not listen."
"Vashet to Kvothe ~ Patrick Rothfuss

A tinker's debt is always paid: Once for any simple trade. Twice for freely-given aid. Thrice for any insult made. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I sow salt because the choice is between weeds and nothing. - Lanre ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Anker's was low-class enough so that the drinks were cheap, but high-class enough so that you didn't have to worry about someone picking a fight or throwing up on you. I liked it. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

For me, language is something that I've always loved. When I read, that's what I look for. When I write, that's what I strive for. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

The sweet smile of a young woman. There is nothing better in the world. It is worth more than salt. Something in us sickens and dies without it. I am sure of this. Such a simple thing. How strange. How wonderful and strange. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Then, slowly, my feet settled to the ground. Before I had taken six steps I sagged like a sail when the wind fades. As I walked back through the town, past sleeping houses and dark inns, my mood swung from elation to doubt in the space of three brief breaths.
I had ruined everything. All the things I had said, things that seemed so clever at the time, were in fact the worst things a fool could say. Even now she was inside, breathing a sigh of relief to finally be rid of me.
But she had smiled. Had laughed.
She hadn't remembered our first meeting on the road from Tarbean. I couldn't have made that much of an impression on her.
'Steal me,' she had said.
I should have been bolder and kissed her at the end. I should have been more cautious. I had talked too much. I had said too little. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I think one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a writer is to follow your initial [writing] plan too stringently. A story needs room to grow and evolve. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I wanted to tell her that she was the first beautiful thing I had seen in three years. That the sight of her yawning to the back of her hand was enought to drive the breath from me. How I sometimes lost the sense of her words in the sweet fluting of her voice. I wanted to say that if she were with me then somehow nothing could ever be wrong for me again. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

If I could sum it up in 50 words, I wouldn't have needed to write a whole novel about it. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Seven things has Lady Lackless
Keeps them underneath her black dress
One a ring that's not for wearing
One a sharp word, not for swearing
Right beside her husband's candle
There's a door without a handle
In a box, no lid or locks
Lackless keeps her husband's rocks
There's a secret she's been keeping
She's been dreaming and not sleeping
On a road, that's not for traveling
Lackless likes her riddle raveling. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

It's a horrible thing to have your body fail you. You never think about it when you're young. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I hope they sang together, as they so often did. I hope they retired to our wagon and spent time in each other's arms. I hope they lay near each other afterward and spoke softly of small things. I hope they were together, busy with loving each other, until the end came. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

In the hours that followed, I learned that Ademic hand gestures did not actually represent facial expressions. It was nothing so simple as that. For example a smile can mean you're amused, happy, grateful, or satisfied. You can smile to comfort someone. You can smile because you're content or because you're in love. A grimace or a grin look similar to a smile, but they mean entirely different things.
Imagine trying to teach someone how to smile. Imagine trying to describe what different smiles mean and when, precisely, to use them in conversation. It's harder than learning to walk. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

Asking to hold a musician's instrument is roughly similar to asking to kiss a man's wife. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

I brought you a feather with the spring wind in it, but since you were late ... ' she looked a me gravely, 'you get a coin instead. ~ Patrick Rothfuss

No. You should take pleasure in following the Lethani. If you fight well, you should take pride in doing a thing well. For the fighting itself you should feel only duty and sorrow. Only barbarians and madmen take pleasure in combat. Whoever loves the fight itself has left the Lethani behind. ~ Patrick Rothfuss