Steven Brust Quotes

Minneapolis has two seasons: Road Removal and Snow Repair.

It is always man's ideas which drive his actions. This has, at times, resulted in great evil; but as we look around us, we cannot doubt that it has resulted in greater good.

Always speak politely to an enraged dragon.

Don't explain why it works; explain how you use it.

One man's mistake is another man's opportunity.

The struggle is always worthwhile, if the end be worthwhile and the means honorable; foreknowledge of defeat is not sufficient reason to withdraw from the contest.

A young man without ambition is an old man waiting to be.

Why do you work so hard to make yourself disliked? I should think you'd find it happens enough on its own without putting yourself to any extra trouble.

I'm told I'm very charming when people do what I want.

It's just that no one wants to be the one being rescued, we all want to do the rescuing.

Appropriate action means to advance your own goals, without unintentional harm to anyone else.

No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style.

There is no excuse for bad manners, except fast reflexes.

All literature consists of whatever the writer thinks is cool. The reader will like the book to the degree that he agrees with the writer about what's cool.

Plan. Yes. Good idea. I should come up with a plan.

Absolute truisms rot brains absolutely.[...]'Power corrupts' is useless as a tool for understanding the past, and gives us nothing as a guide to action.

Can you be serious for two words?" "Not without effort.

You can't put something together again unless you've torn it apart first.

I’ve heard it said: ‘By his home you shall know him’; and we all know that we must pay attention to anyone who reverses the subject and auxiliary verb in his sentence.

I guess there's just a time for doing dumb things.

I'd rather be running the game than playing it.

I tend to close my eyes when I look at people anymore.

The novel should be understood as a structure built to accommodate the greatest possible amount of cool stuff.

There are millions of ways for people to die, if you number each vital organ, each ways it can fail, all the poisons from the earth and the sea which can cause these failures.

Do you think it's possible to discuss politics without preaching?

Staring into the dragon's maw, one quickly learns wisdom.

What's the point of having weak enemies? They just waste your time.

The others followed, and found themselves in a small, stuffy basement, which would have been damp, smelly, close, and dark, were it not, in fact, well-lit, which prevented it from being dark.

Most people seem to take pleasure in feeling superior to someone. I'm not like that, which pleases me because it makes me feel superior.

Everybody generalizes from one example. At least, I do.

True heroics must be carefully planned - and strenuously avoided.

Can you be serious for two words?""Not without effort.

You're stubborn, Vlad.""Is that a compliment?

You connect yourself to the viewer by by sharing something that is inside of you that connects with something inside of him. All you have as your guide is that you know what moves you.