this book. best book i have read by far, and i have read it three times. maybe a bit too idealistic, but i dream of a world where Dalinar Kholin is our leader and Kaladin, our protector.
here are a few quotes from The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.....
"Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination."
-the first ideal of the Knights Radiant
"Sometimes the prize is not worth the costs. The means by which we achieve victory are as important as the victory itself."
-Dalinar
"A man's emotion are what defines him. Control is the hallmark of true strength. To lack feeling is to be dead, but to act on every feeling is to be a child."
-Dalinar
"Bitterness is repaid more often than kindness."
-Kaladin
"...he’s not the first man I’ve known who will face battle without fear, yet cower in terror about knives in the shadows. The hallmark of insecurity is bravado."
-Dalinar
"Life before death. The Radiant seeks to defend life, always. He never kills unnecessarily, and never risks his own life for frivolous reasons. Living is harder than dying. The Radiant’s duty is to live.
Strength before weakness. All men are weak at some time in their lives. The Radiant protects those who are weak, and uses his strength for others. Strength does not make one capable of rule; it makes one capable of service.
Journey before destination. There are always several ways to achieve a goal. Failure is preferable to winning through unjust means. Protecting ten innocents is not worth killing one. In the end, all men die. How you lived will be far more important to the Almighty than what you accomplished."
-Teft explaining the ideals to Kaladin
"Somebody has to start, son. Somebody has to step forward and do what is right, because it is right. If nobody starts, then others cannot follow."
-Lirin to Kaladin
"I will protect those who cannot protect themselves."
-Kaladin (the second Ideal of the Windrunners)
And a few from my favorite chapter, Chapter 69: Justice. I could read this book over and over just to finally get to this moment. It is actually not the final chapter, but it is the beginning of Dalinar's journey to fulfilling his purpose.
"“What is a man’s life worth?” Dalinar asked softly.
“The slavemasters say one is worth about two emerald broams,” Kaladin said, frowning.
“And what do you say?”
“A life is priceless,” he said immediately, quoting his father.
Dalinar smiled, wrinkle lines extending from the corners of his eyes. “Coincidentally, that is the exact value of a Shardblade. So today, you and your men sacrificed to buy me twenty-six hundred priceless lives. And all I had to repay you with was a single priceless sword. I call that a bargain.”"
-Dalinar and Kaladin
(That moment when Dalinar proves to Kaladin that not everyone in power are corrupt, like Kaladin has experienced all his life.)
"We’re going to win this war, and we’re going to turn Alethkar into a place that men will envy again. Not because of our military prowess, but because people here are safe and because justice reigns."
-Dalinar
(Something our current world leaders should learn from, don't you think?)
"Most everything was still wrong. He was still furious at Sadeas, pained by the loss of so many of his men, confused at what to do with Navani, dumbfounded by his visions, and daunted by the idea of bringing the warcamps to unity.
But at least now he had something to work with."
-Dalinar
(His final thoughts in this chapter. If he was a listener/parshendi, he'd be thinking this to Resolve.)
