Patrick Rothfuss Quotes

Isn't that the way of the world? We want the sweet things, but we need the unpleasant ones.

One of them had a large wooden sign nailed to its door proclaiming, NO SYMPATHY! I wondered what non-arcane visitors might think of the warning.

Everything said, you couldn't hope for a nicer day to have a half dozen ex-soldiers with hunting bows relieve you of everything you owned.

What are the three most important rules of the chemist?" This I knew from Ben. "Label clearly. Measure twice. Eat elsewhere.

Generally my favorite remarks always come from my readers. I've had people say my books made them laugh, or cry, or that it frightened them late at night.

The air was heavy with the smell of leather and dust, of old parchment and binding glue. It smelled of secrets.

My mom once lost track of me at the zoo and when she found me I was lecturing a man about the difference between dromedary and Bactrian camels. I was about 3 1/2.

You never do things the easy way, do you?" she said. "There's an easy way?" I asked.

You may have heard of me.

Speculative fiction is where my heart lies. It's what I read growing up, and it's what I read as an adult.

I'm not implying that fantasy is for kids. I'm saying that more and more people are finally realizing that there's more to fantasy stories than elves and wizards and goblin armies.

It's hard for a newbie author to get noticed.

Each book needs a good beginning and a good ending. People get pissed off when you don't close things off properly at the end.

Don't get me wrong, hard and soft fantasy stories can both be good. But you need to know which camp you're in. I'm into realism. I'm a hard fantasy guy.

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.

I loved college. I wish I was still taking classes instead of teaching them.

I think the best part of being an author is that I get to learn about anything I want and explain it away as research.

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.

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.

I was just wondering why you're here.

The second was some rather bad poetry, but it was short, and I forced my way through by gritting my teeth and occasionally closing one eye so as not to damage the entirety of my brain.

If your name is getting too heavy, you should have Kvothe give you a new one.

I want a magical horse that fits in my pocket," Wil said. "And a ring of red amber that gives me power over demons. And an endless supply of cake.

There is something powerfully beguiling about the excited eyes of a young woman. They can pull all manner of nonsense out of a foolish young man, and I was no exception to this rule.

Ambrose, your presence is the horseshit frosting on the horseshit cake that is the admissions interview process.

It was more exciting when I didn't know I had permission.

You know, I could have carried you.

...it is better to have a mouthful of poison than a secret of the heart.

I needed to let them know they couldn't hurt me. I've learned that the best way to stay safe is to make your enemies think you can't be hurt.

Are you hurt?" "Absolutely," I said. "Especially in my everywhere.

I decided to dub the room with the good chairs my lutery. Or perhaps my performatory. I would need a while to come up with something suitably pretentious.

With his eyes and those hands there won't be a woman safe in all the world when he starts hunting after the ladies.' 'Courting, dear,' my father corrected gently. 'Semantics,' she shrugged.

All stories are true," Skarpi said. "But this one really happened, if that's what you mean.

What has made me most proud - the things that I've done that I feel the most pride about - is helping people care about making the world better.

I like your manly bravado," she said. "Do it some more.

But how awful would that be? How terrible to live surrounded by the stark, sharp, hollowness of things that simply were enough?

One of my favorite artists on Deviantart.

I’d heard you were dead.” "I heard you wear a red lace corset,” I said matter-of-factly. “But I don’t believe every bit of nonsense that gets rumored about.

All the truth in the world is held in stories.

When left to its own devices it tends to make me look as if I’ve been set afire.

I can sell anything to anyone. That is actually my superpower. I am really good at negotiating and persuading.

As a writer, I first felt successful before I was published.

That's all that really matters in the end. Stories.

You want to publish with a publisher because a publisher knows how to publish a book. And you don't. You really don't.

My favourite member of the Beatles is Lennon. He might have been crazy. But he's my kind of crazy.

Over his own dark Cealdish beard. "Nothing like your marvelous facebear.

If I talk about what I'm good at, I seem like I'm a conceited egomaniac.

After two years of sending out query letters and failing to get an agent, I made friends with an author, who was nice enough to introduce me to his agent. That got my foot in the door.

Writing a good query letter has very little to do with writing a good novel. But if you can't write the one, it makes it really hard to get the other published.

I'd love to get a chance to talk shop with Joss Whedon. That's pretty high up there on the list.