651 Quotes by Joe Abercrombie

Magic is the art and science of forcing things to behave in ways that are not in their nature.

A length of wood does not by itself make a man wise, or noble, or powerful, any more than a length of steel does. Power comes from the flesh, my boy, and from the heart, and from the head. From the head most of all.

Still, it was better to swear an oath and never follow through than not even to bother with the oath. Wasn’t it?

In violent times folk like to kneel to violent men. In peaceful times they remember they’re happier standing.

As a writer, you have to first of all write what you want to. Listen to advice, by all means, but don’t get bogged down in it.

Promises are like flowers, often given, rarely kept.

Fearlessness is a fool’s boast, to my mind. The only men with no fear in them are dead, or the soon to be dead, maybe. Fear teaches you caution, and respect for your enemy, and to avoid sharp edges used in anger. All good things in their place, believe me. Fear can bring you out alive, and that’s the very best anyone can hope for from any fight. Every man who’s worth a damn feels fear. It’s the use you make of it that counts.

Life – the way it really is – is a battle not between good and bad, but between bad and worse’ Joseph Brodsky.

The mistakes of old,” intoned Bayaz with the highest pomposity, “should be made only once. Any worthwhile education, therefore, must be founded on a sound understanding of history.