Raymond E. Feist

“why do I want to appear to be drinking more than I am?''Make it a habit. Men in their cups are fools, more often than not. And it can be wise to look the fool at times.”

“People like rules, or at least the appearance of rules, even in fantasy.”

“Now he wondered what use it would be. For Kaspar’s death would not bring back his father, Elk’s Call at Dawn, or his mother, Whisper of the Night Wind. His brother, Hand of the Sun, and his little sister Miliana would remain dead. The only time he would hear the voice of his grandfather, Laughter in His Eyes, would be in his memory. Nothing would change. No farmer outside Krondor would suddenly stand up in wonder and say, “A wrong has been righted.” No boot-maker in Roldem would look up from his bench and say, “A people has been avenged.”

“I won't say that writing is therapy, but for me, the act of writing is therapy. The ability to be productive is good for my mental health. It's always better for me to be writing than vegetating on some couch.”

“One likes to think one grows as a writer as one ages, else all you get is an 'old' young writer. Beyond that is the changing landscape of the universe and the stories I choose to tell.”

“Also, it's risky to try to duplicate earlier success. Magician had a certain charm to it, mostly due to my choice of lead characters, that I would be hard put to duplicate.”

“Either systems are in balance or they are falling apart. If people are acting in what appears to be a twisted way, I want to know the reason for that.”

“I'm a huge fan of Cabernet and Bordeaux, and am passionate about Pinot Noir and Burgundies.”

“History is written by victors,” said Duko. “But I have little use for history. It is the future with which I am concerned.”

“My ancestors were conquerors, though now they are heroes in our history." Glancing at Amos, he said, "But we wrote the history.”

“In the end, my reasons for moving down the timeline and introducing a new cast have more to do with keeping myself entertained, on the assumption that if I get bored, my readers are going to be even more bored.”

“I don't like fantasy where a king snaps his fingers and suddenly a whole army appears and goes off to war - he's got to feed them, he's got to pay them, he's got to take care of the camp followers and the gamblers and the people who cause disorder.”

“He knew there was only a slight difference between an armed guard and an escort, but sometimes that difference separated the honored and the condemned.”

“All his life he has been in the shadow of Grandfather, and of the man for whom he was named."..."Then, Grandfather would tell us it has nothing to do with fame.”“He enjoyed the notoriety, though,” said Dash.“Agreed,” said Jimmy. “But he gained it from being so bloody brilliant at what he did. He didn’t set out to be the most fiendishly clever noble in history.”“Maybe that’s what Father knew from the start; it’s just getting the job done and let history decide what history will decide,” observed Dash.”

“Writing is not a competitive sport. Everyone that writes has his or her own voice.”

“I feel when a writer treats a character as 'precious,' the writer runs the risk of turning them into a comic book character. There's nothing wrong with comic book characters in comic books, but I don't write comic books.”

“Forgive me, Magnus.’‘I don’t know if I can.’‘You must.’Still looking into the distance, he said, ‘You need my forgiveness?’‘No. I’m dead. You can do nothing for me. You need to forgive me so you can live.”

“It takes a man of unusual character to openly confront his own shortcomings. It’s so much more convenient to blame others.”

“You learn something new every day, if you just stop to pay attention.”

“Robert had taught him to keep his thoughts in the present or near future, for as Robert had told him, To dwell in the past is to live in regret.”