I had long wondered," Lan said to Tam. "About the man who had given Rand that heron-marked blade. I wondered if he had truly earned it. Now I know." Lan raised his own sword in salute.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the idea of earning one's honor and the respect that comes with it.
In this passage, Lan expresses a deep understanding of the value of honor and the sacrifices that must be made to earn it. The heron-marked blade symbolizes not just a weapon, but the weight of responsibility and the courage it takes to wield it with integrity. Lan's salute with his own sword signifies recognition of this profound lesson and the respect he holds for those who have proven themselves worthy.
In practice
This quote could be shared during a graduation speech to inspire students about the importance of earning their achievements.
Fantasy is an area where it is possible to talk about right and wrong, good and evil, with a straight face. In mainstream fiction and even in a good deal of mystery, these things are presented as simply two sides of the same coin. Never really more than a matter of where you happen to be standing.
The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.
Til shade is gone, til water is gone Into the shadow with teeth bared Screaming defiance with the last breath To spit in Sightblinder’s eye on the Last Day.
He came like the wind, like the wind touched everything, and like the wind was gone. -from The Dragon Reborn. By Loial, son of Arent son of Halan, the Fourth Age.
The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.
Duty is heavier than a mountain, Dai Shan.' That time, Lan did flinch. How long had it been since someone had been able to do that to him with mere words? He remembered teaching that same concept to a youth out of the Two Rivers. A sheepherder, innocent of the world, fearful of the fate laid out before him by the Pattern.
Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying. Too many children. We must do something.
If you voluntarily quit in the face of adversity, you'll wonder about it for the rest of your life.
Most people would have given up when faced with all the criticism I've received over the years.
Fear is, I believe, a most effective tool in destroying the soul of an individual - and the soul of a people.
I was the first man to climb the world's 14 tallest peaks without supplementary oxygen, but I never asked how high I would go, just how I would do it.
Do not cringe and make yourself small if you are called the black sheep, the maverick, the lone wolf. Those with slow seeing say that a noncomformist is a blight on society. But it has been proven over the centuries, that being different means standing at the edge, that one is practically guaranteed to make an original contribution, a useful and stunning contribution to her culture.
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