But how awful would that be? How terrible to live surrounded by the stark, sharp, hollowness of things that simply were enough?
Patrick RothfussRead
...hear rumors and go digging for the painful truth beneath the lovely lies. You believe you have a right to these things, but you don't. When someone tells you a piece of their life, they're giving you a gift, not granting you your due.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the value of personal stories and the respectful way we should approach them.
Patrick Rothfuss highlights the significance of personal narratives shared by others, suggesting that such revelations should be seen as gifts rather than entitlements. He warns against the urge to uncover painful truths behind surface-level perceptions, advocating for a respectful and appreciative attitude toward the vulnerabilities others share.
Themes
TruthLife StoriesGiftRelationshipsRespect
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote during a discussion about the importance of emotional honesty in friendships.
More from Patrick Rothfuss
All quotes βI wanted to tell her that she was the first beautiful thing I had seen in three years. That the sight of her yawning to the back of her hand was enough to drive the breath from me. How I sometimes lost the sense of her words in the sweet fluting of her voice. I wanted to say that if she were with me then somehow nothing could ever be wrong for me again.
Patrick RothfussRead
Using words to talk of words is like using a pencil to draw a picture of itself, on itself. Impossible. Confusing. Frustrating ... but there are other ways to understanding.
Patrick RothfussRead
Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts. There are seven words that will make a person love you. There are ten words that will break a strong man's will. But a word is nothing but a painting of a fire. A name is the fire itself.
Patrick RothfussRead
How odd to watch a mortal kindle / Then to dwindle day by day / Knowing their bright souls are tinder / And the wind will have its way
Patrick RothfussRead
All the truth in the world is held in stories.
Patrick RothfussRead
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