History. Language. Passion. Custom. All these things determine what men say, think, and do. These are the hidden puppet-strings from which all men hang.
You realized those truths that cut against the interests of the powerful were called lies, and that those lies that served those interests were called truths.
There was such a difference, he thought, between the beauty that illuminated, and the beauty that was illuminated.
That hope is little more than the premonition of regret. This is the first lesson of history.
Interruption is weakness, young Kellhus. It arises from the passions and not from the intellect. From the darkness that comes before. I understand, Pragma. The cold eyes peered through him and saw thi...
If you find yourself taken unawares by someone you thought you knew, recall that the character revealed is as much your own as otherwise.
Fools can be trusted precisely because they are fools. Their agendas rarely intersect with your own.
Zealous men often confuse purity with intolerance, particularly when they're young.
Let us be moved, you and I, by the things themselves. Let us discover each other.
Ignorance is trust. —
But I’ve always believed, Kellhus continued, that one must ride another man’s horse for a day before criticizing. To better understand him? No, the man replied with an eye-twinkling shrug. Because the...
The hot glare of evening winked into the chill glow of dusk in a heartbeat
You can count the bruises on your heart easily enough, but numbering sins is a far tricker matter. Men are eternally forgetting for their benefit. They leave it to the World to remeber, and to the Out...
Where no paths exist, a man strays only when he misses his destination. There is no crime, no transgression, no sin save foolishness or incompetence, and no obscenity save the tyranny of custom.
War is
They so wanted it to be simple, believers. It is what is! they cried, sneering at the possibility of other eyes, other truths, overlooking their own outrageous presumption. It says what it says, spoke...
The genius of most men lay in finding reasons after their actions. The heart was ever self-serving, especially when the beliefs served involved sacrifice.
That’s the horrible fact of sinners. We’re indistinguishable from the righteous.
Only madmen and historians, he said, believe their lies.
Nothing makes fools of people quite like a luxurious life, Achamian said, shaking his head and nodding. Ajencis says they confuse decisions made atop pillows for those compelled by stones. When they h...