One of the great things about books is you can afford to do anything.
George R. R. MartinRead
His sister liked to think of herself as Lord Tywin with teats, but she was wrong. Their father had been as relentless and implacable as a glacier, where Cercei was all wildfire, especially when thwarted.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote contrasts two distinct types of power and influence, emphasizing the difference between ruthless control and volatile aggression.
In this quote by George R. R. Martin, the comparison between Lord Tywin and Cercei underscores the contrasting approaches to power and influence. While Lord Tywin embodies a cold, calculated, and relentless nature akin to a glacier, Cercei represents a more impulsive and destructive force, like wildfire. This illustrates the complexities of character motivations in the struggle for dominance and the varied forms that power can take.
Themes
PowerInfluenceControlAggressionRelentlessDestruction
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about leadership styles, this quote can illustrate the contrasting methods of control and their consequences.
More from George R. R. Martin
All quotes →I 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: “Not today.
George R. R. MartinRead
I did not do it. Yet now I wish I had.’ He turned to face the hall, that sea of pale faces. ‘I 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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