One of the great things about books is you can afford to do anything.
George R. R. MartinRead
They are children, Sansa thought. They are silly little girls, even Elinor. They’ve never seen a battle, they’ve never seen a man die, they know nothing. Their dreams were full of songs and stories, the way hers had been before Joffrey cut her fathers head off. Sansa pitied them. Sansa envied them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The innocence of youth is contrasted with the harsh realities of life that come with experience.
In this quote, Sansa Stark reflects on the innocence of young girls who are unaware of the harsh realities of life, such as death and battle. Her thoughts reveal a deep sense of pity and envy; she feels sadness for their ignorance but also longs for the simplicity of their dreams, contrasting sharply with her own traumatic experiences and the loss of her father's life. This moment encapsulates the loss of childhood innocence that often accompanies the painful lessons of adulthood.
Themes
InnocenceExperienceLossYouthLifePityEnvy
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about the impact of war on children, this quote sheds light on the experiences of those who are sheltered from violence.
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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