One of the great things about books is you can afford to do anything.
George R. R. MartinRead
Robert was never the same after he put on that crown. Some men are like swords, made for fighting. Hang them up and they go to rust.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the transformative impact of power and responsibility on an individual, suggesting that some people lose their purpose without challenges.
In this quote, George R. R. Martin suggests that certain people thrive in environments that challenge them, much like swords that are forged for battle. When not given a purpose or responsibility, they can become useless, akin to a sword left to rust. The mention of Robert and his crown indicates how the weight of leadership can profoundly change a person's identity and their abilities to cope with a life devoid of challenges.
Themes
PowerIdentityPurposeResponsibilityTransformation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about leadership and the effects of power on personal character.
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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