One of the great things about books is you can afford to do anything.
When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east," she said sadly. "When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When my womb quickens again, and I bear a living child. Then you will return, my sun-and-stars, and not before." -Daenerys Targaryen
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a deep, enduring love and longing for someone, suggesting that their return is only possible under impossible circumstances.
In this poignant quote, Daenerys Targaryen conveys the depth of her love and desperation for the return of a beloved one. She articulates that their reunion is only possible when the natural order of the world is turned upside down—when sunlight rises in the wrong direction or seas dry up—emphasizing how almost unattainable their return feels. This not only reflects her profound connection but also her willingness to wait against all odds, highlighting themes of love’s endurance and heartache.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a romantic novel discussing the pains of waiting for true love.
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.
There is only one god and his name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: “Not today.
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.
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.
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.
Similar quotes
Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.
When you find yourself with the Beloved, embracing for _x000D_ one breath, in that moment you will find your true destiny. _x000D_ Alas, don't spoil this precious moment. _x000D_ Moments like this are very, very rare.
Here my tears are falling, Nastenka. Let them flow, let them flow - they don't hurt anybody. They will dry Nastenka.
For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away And the shadows eaten the moon.
If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.
To all, I would say how mistaken they are when they think that they stop falling in love when they grow old, without knowing that they grow old when they stop falling in love...