Steven Brust Quotes

Quotes about:

• 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.

  Steven Brust

  Men, Ideas, Evil

  Steven Brust (2010). “Sethra Lavode”, p.324, Macmillan

  46 Copy quote

• To seek understanding before taking action, yet to trust my instincts when action is called for. Never to avoid danger from fear, never to seek out danger for its own sake. Never to conform to fashion from fear of eccentricity, never to be eccentric from fear of conformity.

  Steven Brust

  Fashion, Understanding, Eccentric

  Steven Brust (2003). “The Paths of the Dead: Book One of the Viscount of Adrilankha”, p.98, Macmillan

  18 Copy quote

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

  Steven Brust

  Writing, Design, Use

  14 Copy quote

• Always speak politely to an enraged Dragon.

  Steven Brust

  Dragons, Speak

  Steven Brust (1999). “The Book of Jhereg”, p.67, Penguin

  15 Copy quote

• A stupid person can make only certain, limited types of errors; the mistakes open to a clever fellow are far broader. But to the one who knows how smart he is compared to everyone else, the possibilities for true idiocy are boundless.

  Steven Brust

  Clever, Mistake, Smart

  Steven Brust (2010). “Iorich”, p.172, Macmillan

  9 Copy quote

• 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.

  Steven Brust

  Struggle, Mean, Defeat

  Steven Brust (2009). “Five Hundred Years After”, p.525, Macmillan

  13 Copy quote

• 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.

  Steven Brust

  Please Me, People, Feelings

  Steven Brust (2008). “Jhegaala”, p.251, Macmillan

  4 Copy quote

• In our memories, there is a graveyard where we bury our dead. They all lie there together, the loved ones and the ones we hated, friends and foes and kin, with no distinction among them. We have to mourn every one of them, because our memories have made them as much a part of us as our bones or our skin. If we don't, we've no right to remember anything at all.

  Steven Brust

  Memories, Lying, Skins

  7 Copy quote

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

  Steven Brust

  No Excuses, Manners, Reflexes

  6 Copy quote

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

  Steven Brust

  People, Want, Charming

  Steven Brust (2011). “Tiassa”, p.128, Macmillan

  8 Copy quote

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

  Steven Brust

  Ambition, Men, Waiting

  Steven Brust (2003). “The Paths of the Dead: Book One of the Viscount of Adrilankha”, p.83, Macmillan

  9 Copy quote

• True heroics must be carefully planned - and strenuously avoided.

  Steven Brust

  Avoided

  Steven Brust (1999). “The Book of Jhereg”, p.58, Penguin

  4 Copy quote

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

  Steven Brust

  Mean, Goal, Action

  Steven Brust (2014). “The Book of Dragon: Dragon and Issola”, p.336, Macmillan

  7 Copy quote

• 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.

  Steven Brust

  Thinking, Trouble, Enough

  Steven Brust (2011). “Tiassa”, p.57, Macmillan

  8 Copy quote

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

  Steven Brust

  Example

  Steven Brust (2002). “Issola”, p.201, Macmillan

  4 Copy quote

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

  Steven Brust

  Knives, Style, Wizards

  Steven Brust (2003). “The Book of Athyra”, p.134, Penguin

  7 Copy quote

• 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.

  Steven Brust

  Book, Thinking, Degrees

  Steven Brust (2003). “The Paths of the Dead: Book One of the Viscount of Adrilankha”, p.396, Macmillan

  6 Copy quote

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

  Steven Brust

  Stuff, Structure, Should

  Steven Brust (2003). “The Paths of the Dead: Book One of the Viscount of Adrilankha”, p.396, Macmillan

  4 Copy quote

• The tools are real. The viewer is real, you, the artist, is real and a part of everything you paint. You connect yourself to the viewer 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. All you have to do it with is a brush, some chemical and canvas, and technique.

  Steven Brust

  Real, Moving, Artist

  4 Copy quote

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

  Steven Brust

  Together Again, Together, Firsts

  6 Copy quote

• There was a sergeant at a desk. I knew he was a sergeant because I recognized the marks on his uniform, and I knew it was a desk because it's always a desk. There's always someone at a desk, except when it's a table that functions as a desk. You sit behind a desk, and everyone knows you're supposed to be there, and that you're doing something that involves your brain. It's an odd, special kind of importance. I think everyone should get a desk; you can sit behind it when you feel like you don't matter.

  Steven Brust

  Thinking, Brain, Special

  Steven Brust (2010). “Iorich”, p.243, Macmillan

  5 Copy quote

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

  Steven Brust

  Mistake, Opportunity, Men

  Steven Brust (1999). “The Book of Jhereg”, p.97, Penguin

  13 Copy quote

• 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.

  Steven Brust

  Home, Verbs, Attention

  4 Copy quote

• 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.

  Steven Brust

  Past, Giving, Understanding

  6 Copy quote

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

  Steven Brust

  Want

  Steven Brust (2010). “Iorich”, p.309, Macmillan

  7 Copy quote

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