I had this desire to see the world. I couldn't see any of it, but I saw it in my imagination, and that's why I always read books, and I could go to Mars or Middle Earth or the Hyborian age.

When the sun has set, no candle can replace it.

The brightest flame casts the darkest shadow.

When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say.

A Lannister always pays his debts.

There are no men like me. There's only me

For the night is dark and full of terrors.

A cold wind was blowing from the north, and it made the trees rustle like living things.

The true horrors of human history derive not from orcs and Dark Lords, but from ourselves.

The Lord of Winterfell would always be a Stark

The only time a man can be brave is when he is afraid.

Never look at what you want to change. Always look at what has changed.

She is so distinct to me, it's as though I had run my hands all over her.

You can parody and make fun of almost anything, but that does not turn the universe into a caricature.

Microsoft is not the problem. Microsoft is the symptom.

The health of the soul is as precarious as that of the body; for when we seem secure from passions, we are no less in danger of their infection than we are of falling ill when we appear to be well.

It's plain hokum. If you can't convince 'em, confuse 'em. It's an old political trick. But this time it won't work.

We'll keep writing and if it hits our standards we'll go with it. We're not here to destroy anything. It's as precious to us as it is for someone who's followed us for years.

The day that I can land at the airport in Baghdad and ride in an unarmed car down the highway to the Green Zone is the day that I'll start considering withdrawals from Iraq.

I like playing the guy on the sidelines. They have more fun.

Woodrell's storytelling is as melodic, jangly and energetic as a good banjo riff.... Sammy Barlach's story is a tragedy, but the telling of it is a pleasure.