One of the great things about books is you can afford to do anything.
George R. R. MartinRead
His chains chinked softly. I seldom fling children from towers to improve their health. Yes, I meant for him to die.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the darker aspects of human behavior and morality, suggesting a painful truth about sacrifice and harm.
In this quote, George R. R. Martin offers a stark commentary on the nature of power and the ruthless decisions that can accompany leadership or authority. The reference to chains and children implies a grave moral consideration where the sacrifice of innocence is weighed against a larger goal, questioning the ethics of such actions and the coldness that can arise in pursuit of one's desires or ambitions.
Themes
PowerSacrificeMoralityLeadershipDarkness
In practice
Example use cases
In discussing ethical dilemmas in a leadership seminar.
More from George R. R. Martin
All quotes βI 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: βNot today.
George R. R. MartinRead
I did not do it. Yet now I wish I had.β He turned to face the hall, that sea of pale faces. βI 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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