Brandon Sanderson’s words pack a punch as mighty as his epic fantasy tales. I’ve highlighted a bunch of his quotes over the years, but I narrowed the list down to 30 that I absolutely love (and totally not because my editor made me do it)―each one a nugget of wisdom, a slice of life’s big picture, or a spark of inspiration. They’re about picking yourself up, facing your fears, and finding your way―pretty much like the heroes in his books. So, ready for some fantasy lit wisdom? Let’s go.
1. “Life breaks us. Then we fill the cracks with something stronger.”
― Oathbringer
2. “Life before Death.
Strength before Weakness.
Journey before Destination.”
― The Way of Kings
3. “Every man is a hero of his own story.”
― Warbreaker
4. “I will take responsibility for what I have done. If I must fall, I will rise each time a better man.”
― Oathbringer
5. “You can beat anybody, so long as you don’t let them fight back properly.”
― The Bands of Mourning
6. “It has always seemed to me that a coward is a person who cares more about what people say than about what is right. Bravery isn’t about what people call you. It’s about who you know yourself to be.”
― Skyward
7. “The most important step a man can take. It’s not the first one, is it? It’s the next one. Always the next step.”
― Oathbringer
8. “All stories told have been told before. We tell them to ourselves, as did all men who ever were. And all men who ever will be. The only things new are the names.”
― Words of Radiance
9. “No one ever accomplished anything by being content with who they were. We accomplish great things by reaching toward who we could become.”
― Rhythm of War
10. “A man is what he has a passion about. I’ve found that if you give up what you want most for what you think you should want more, you’ll just end up miserable.”
― The Hero of Ages
11. “You can’t kill me. I represent that one thing you’ve never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope.”
― The Final Empire
12. “Failure is refusing to fight. Failure is remaining quiet and hoping someone else will fix the problem.”
― Calamity
13. “Do not dash if you only have the strength to walk, and do not waste your time pushing on the walls that will not give. More importantly, don’t shove where a pat would be sufficient.”
― Elantris
14. “That’s what trust is. It’s about giving someone else power over you. Power to hurt you.”
― The Hero of Ages
15. “A man found himself when he was alone. You only had one person to chat with, one person to blame.”
― The Bands of Mourning
16. “It’s easy to believe in something when you win all the time. The losses are what define a man’s faith.”
― The Well of Ascension
17. “You don’t have to believe in my miracles. You can call them accidents or coincidences if you must. But don’t pity me for my faith. And don’t presume that you’re better, just because you believe something different.”
― Warbreaker
18. “Good men can make terrible kings. But bad men cannot make good kings.”
― The Well of Ascension
19. “Where there are villains, there will be heroes. Just wait. They will come.”
― Steelheart
20. “You are so much more than you are willing to accept, child.”
― The Well of Ascension
21. “Somebody has to start. Somebody has to step forward and do what is right, because it is right.”
― The Way of Kings
22. “Expectations were like fine pottery. The harder you held them, the more likely they were to crack.”
― The Way of Kings
23. “Accept the pain, but don’t accept that you deserved it.”
― Oathbringer
24. “The question is not whether you will love, hurt, dream, and die. It is what you will love, why you will hurt when you will dream, and how you will die. This is your choice. You cannot pick the destination, only the path.”
― Oathbringer
25. “Yes, I began my journey alone, and I ended it alone. But that does not mean that I walked alone.”
― Oathbringer
26. “You should try not to talk so much, friend. You’ll sound far less stupid that way.
― The Final Empire
27. “Honor is dead. But I’ll see what I can do.”
― Words of Radiance
28. “The most important words a man can say are, ‘I will do better’.”
― Oathbringer
29. “The problem with being clever is that everyone assumes you’re always planning something.”
― Elantris
30. “Onward, then! To glory and some such nonsense.”
― Words of Radiance
And that’s a wrap on Sanderson’s fantastic quotes! If you’ve got a favorite, don’t keep it to yourself—share it on social media and give The Rockle a shoutout. And guess what? We’ve got more wisdom from fantasy legends! Check them out:
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🔖 C.S. Lewis’ Wisdom in 10 Quotes
🔖 Neil Gaiman’s Noteworthy Quotes
🔖 J.R.R. Tolkien’s Magic in Quotes
🔖 Wheel of Time’s 20 Best Quotes
🔖 Steven Erikson’s Finest Quotes