“A shade of sorrow passed over Taliesin's face. 'There are those,' he said gently, 'who must first learn loss, despair, and grief. Of all paths to wisdom, this is the cruelest and longest. Are you one who must follow such a way? This even I cannot know. If you are, take heart nonetheless. Those who reach the end do more than gain wisdom. As rough wool becomes cloth, and crude clay a vessel, so do they change and fashion wisdom for others, and what they give back is greater than what they won.”

American author

Lloyd Alexander was an American author of children’s and young adult fantasy fiction. He lived from 1924 to 2007 and wrote over a long career that spanned seven decades. He is best known for The Chronicles of Prydain, a five-book high fantasy series. His work includes more than 40 books, with 48 written across his career, and it was translated into 20 languages. The final volume of The Chronicles of Prydain, The High King, won the 1969 Newbery Medal. He also received U.S. National Book Awards in 1971 and 1982.