One of the great things about books is you can afford to do anything.
George R. R. MartinRead
Power is a trick. It lies where we believe it lies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Power is an illusion based on perception and belief.
This quote suggests that power is not an inherent quality of a person or position but rather a construct shaped by collective belief and perception. It highlights how the understanding and acceptance of power can vary among individuals, intimating that it is more about the influence one believes they have than the actual authority they possess.
Themes
PowerBeliefIllusionPerceptionInfluence
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on leadership styles, this quote can illustrate the subjective nature of authority.
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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You've a right to believe that we're governed by Nature and the hidden Force within her. You can think that the gods, including my Melitele, are merely a personification of this power invented for simpletons so they can understand it better, accept its existence. According to you, that power is blind. But for me, Geralt, faith allows you to expect what my goddess personifies from nature: order, law, goodness. And hope.
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The rash assertion that "God made man in His own image" is ticking like a time bomb at the foundation of many faiths.
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Who can live with this Consciousness and not wake frightened at sunrise?
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One must never set up a murder. They must happen unexpectedly, as in life.
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America is a mistake, a giant mistake.
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I believe everyone should have a broad picture of how the universe operates and our place in it. It is a basic human desire. And it also puts our worries in perspective.
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