One of the great things about books is you can afford to do anything.
George R. R. MartinRead
This is the bravo’s dance, the water dance, swift and sudden. All men are made of water, do you know this? When you pierce them, the water leaks out and they die.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the fragility of life and the fundamental connection between humans and nature.
George R. R. Martin’s quote reflects on the inherent vulnerability of human beings, likening them to water, a vital and life-sustaining element. It suggests that just as water is essential to life, so too is the emotional and physical fragility of humans—indicating that a single, severe action can lead to dire consequences, highlighting the delicate balance of existence and the need for respect and care in our interactions with others.
Themes
WaterLifeFragilityVulnerabilityHumansNature
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on the importance of compassion in leadership, one might quote this to illustrate the delicate nature of human existence.
More from George R. R. Martin
All quotes →I hate outlines. I have a broad sense of where the story is going; I know the end, I know the end of the principal characters, and I know the major turning points and events from the books, the climaxes for each book, but I don't necessarily know each twist and turn along the way. That's something I discover in the course of writing and that's what makes writing enjoyable. I think if I outlined comprehensively and stuck to the outline the actual writing would be boring.
George R. R. MartinRead
There is only one god and his name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: “Not today.
George R. R. MartinRead
I did not do it. Yet now I wish I had.’ He turned to face the hall, that sea of pale faces. ‘I wish I had enough poison for you all. You make me sorry that I am not the monster you would have me be, yet there it is. I am innocent, but I will get no justice here.
George R. R. MartinRead
But a voice inside her whispered, There are no heroes, and she remembered what Lord Petyr had said to her, here in this very hall. 'Life is not a song, sweetling,' he'd told her, 'You may learn that one day to your sorrow.' In life, the monsters win, she told herself.
George R. R. MartinRead
I write from this tight third-person viewpoint, where each chapter is seen through the eyes of one individual character. When I'm writing that character, I become that character and identify with that character.
George R. R. MartinRead
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