One of the great things about books is you can afford to do anything.
George R. R. MartinRead
History is a wheel, for the nature of man is fundamentally unchanging. What has happened before will perforce happen again.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Human behavior remains constant over time, leading to recurring historical events.
This quote by George R. R. Martin suggests that history operates in cycles due to the unchanging nature of humanity. It implies that by studying the past, we can predict future events, as the fundamental traits and behaviors of people do not evolve significantly over time.
Themes
HistoryHuman NatureRecurrenceCyclesBehavior
In practice
Example use cases
In a history class discussion about the importance of learning from past mistakes.
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
Similar quotes
Tis not what man Does which exalts him, but what man Would do!
Robert BrowningRead
All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.
Blaise PascalRead
What cannot be talked about cannot be put to rest. And if it is not, the wounds will fester from generation to generation.
Bruno BettelheimRead
The purpose of life is to realize God within ourselves. This can be done even whilst attending to our worldly duties.
Meher BabaRead
The cleverer I am at miniaturizing the world, the better I possess it.
Gaston BachelardRead
The point of your life is to point to Him. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is His.
Francis ChanRead