Mark Lawrence might be best known for his fantasy novels, but did you know he’s also an AI research scientist? That’s right, behind those epic battles and sharp-tongued characters is a man with a physics degree and a Ph.D. in mathematics. Impressive, right? But hey, enough with Lawrence’s academic chops; it’s his sharp wit we’re after today. I’ve been on a bit of a treasure hunt through his books and hand-picked the lines that just prove he’s one of the fantasy genre’s most quotable authors. So, stick around; you’ll want to jot these down.
1. “Memories are dangerous things. You turn them over and over, until you know every touch and corner, but still you’ll find an edge to cut you.”
― Prince of Thorns
2. “There’s something brittle in me that will break before it bends.”
― Prince of Thorns
3. “Cowards make the best torturers. Cowards understand fear and they can use it.”
― Prince of Thorns
4. “No half measures. Some things can’t be cut in half. You can’t half-love someone. You can’t half-betray, or half-lie.”
― Emperor of Thorns
5. “It’s harder to forgive someone else your own sins than those uniquely theirs. Much harder.”
― Red Sister
6. “Hate will keep you alive where love fails.”
― Prince of Thorns
7. “The biggest lies we save for ourselves.”
― Prince of Thorns
8. “All of us have a shell, a skin between us and the world that we have to break each time we speak to it. Sometimes I wished mine were thinner.”
― One Word Kill
9. “They expect her to run. They know she will run. And she does. But at them.”
― Red Sister
10. “Courtesy costs nothing, which makes it the ideal gift when you’re as cheap as I am.”
― The Wheel of Osheim
11. “Every fortune-teller I ever met was a faker. First thing you should do to a soothsayer is poke them in the eye and say, ‘Didn’t see that coming, did you?”
― The Liar’s Key
12. “Those that burn short burn bright. The shortest lives can cast the longest shadows.”
― Red
13. “A coward can forgive himself anything given the right excuse.”
― The Wheel of Osheim
14. “A book is as dangerous as any journey you might take. The person who closes the back cover may not be the same one that opened the front one. Treat them with respect.”
― Red Sister
15. “Truth is a weapon and lies are a necessary shield.”
― Red Sister
16. “I think maybe we die every day. Maybe we’re born new each dawn, a little changed, a little further on our own road. When enough days stand between you and the person you were, you’re strangers. Maybe that’s what growing up is. Maybe I have grown up.”
― Prince of Thorns
17. “I’m a liar and a cheat and a coward, but I will never, ever, let a friend down. Unless of course not letting them down requires honesty, fair play, or bravery.”
― Prince of Fools
18. “Pretty armour doesn’t make a warrior.”
― Emperor of Thorns
19. “Spend too long watching the long game and the short game will kill you.”
― Grey Sister
20. “You can only win the game when you understand that it is a game. Let a man play chess, and tell him that every pawn is his friend. Let him think both bishops holy. Let him remember happy days in the shadows of his castles. Let him love his queen. Watch him lose them all.”
― Prince of Thorns
21. “This is where the wise man turns away. This is where the holy kneel and call on God. These are the last miles, my brothers. Don’t look to me to save you. Don’t think I will not spend you. Run if you have the wit. Pray if you have the soul. Stand your ground if courage is yours. But don’t follow me. Follow me, and I will break your heart.”
― Emperor of Thorns
22. “Give us everything we ask for and suddenly it’s too much.”
― The Liar’s Key
23. “The best liars always tell the truth—they just choose which parts.”
― The Liar’s Key
24. “Fear is a valuable commodity, it’s common sense compressed into its purest form.”
― The Liar’s Key
25. “Sometimes my lies impressed the hell out of me.”
― The Liar’s Key
26. “Bravery is just a different kind of broken.”
― Prince of Fools
27. “Take a rest and the world catches up with you. Lesson in life—keep moving.”
― Emperor of Thorns
28. “The road forgets. Make your life a journey, keep moving toward what you want, leave behind anything that’s too heavy to carry.”
― The Liar’s Key
29. “And that’s the riddle of existence for you. When to move and when to stay. Dwell too long and we become the prisoner of our dreams, or someone else’s. Move too fast, live without pause, and you’ll miss it all, your whole life a blur of doing. Good lives are built of moments – of times when we step back and truly see.”
― Sleeping Beauty
30. “Some tell it that “sorry” is the hardest word, but for me it has always been “help”.”
― Emperor of Thorns
And that’s it for Mark Lawrence’s book quotes, ladies and gents! Share your favorites, and make sure to check out our other fantasy lit quote collections:
📜 Patrick Rothfuss in 10 Quotes
📜 Funny Quips from Fantasy Books
📜 Neil Gaiman’s Powerful Quotes
📜 Uplifiting Quotes from Fantasy Lit
📜 J.R.R. Tolkien’s Wisdom in Quotes
📜 Joe Abercrombie’s Wit in 20 Quotes
📜 Brandon Sanderson’s Best Quotes