110+ Brandon Sanderson Quotes On Writing, Fantasy And Epic

Brandon Sanderson is a best-selling American fantasy and science fiction writer. He is best known for his Mistborn series, as well as his work in completing Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Sanderson is also the author of the popular Reckoners and Stormlight Archive series. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Brandon Sanderson on writing, love, fantasy.

Top 10 Brandon Sanderson Quotes

1. Novels aren’t just happy escapes; they are slivers of people’s souls, nailed to the pages, dripping ink from veins of wood pulp. Reading the right one at the right time can make all the difference.
2. The mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital ones.
3. The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.
4. Women? Women are like...thunderstorms. They're beautiful to look at, and sometimes they're nice to listen to-but most of the time they're just plain inconvenient.
5. Mocking a woman is like drinking too much wine. It may be fun for a short time, but the hangover is hell.
6. My dear, did you just try to prove the existence of God with your cleavage?
7. Expectations were like fine pottery. The harder you held them, the more likely they were to crack.
8. We follow the codes not because they bring gain, but because we loathe the people we would otherwise become.
9. Life before Death. Strength before Weakness. Journey before Destination.
10. I've always been very confident in my immaturity.

Brandon Sanderson Short Quotes

• imaginary things were often the only items of real substance in people's lives.
• Entropy shakes its angry fist at you for being clever enough to organize the world. (p 2)
• You see the dilemma?” Ham asked. “I see an idiot,” Breeze mumbled.
• My name is Stephen Leeds, and I am perfectly sane. My hallucinations, however, are all quite mad.
• You see, that is the sad, sorry, terrible thing about sarcasm. It's really funny.
• The hallmark of insecurity is bravado.
• Oh, Wax has always been solemn, but when he's at his best, there's a smirk underneath.
• If you give up what you want most for what you think you should want more, you'll end up miserable.
• Remember, the past need not become our future as well.
• Are there any religions on your list that include the slaughter of noblemen as a holy duty?

Brandon Sanderson Quotes About Writing

I take two hours off for my family every day. And then I write fourteen hours. — Brandon Sanderson

When I write my books, actually I'm known for very logical rule-based magic systems. I write with one foot in fantasy and one foot in science fiction. — Brandon Sanderson

I am a writer who works from an outline. What I generally do when I build an outline is I find focal, important scenes, and I build them in my head and I don't write them yet, but I build towards them. — Brandon Sanderson

It is very important to be reading as well as writing. A doctor is not going to ignore new surgery practices. — Brandon Sanderson

Start writing the things that you are reading or that you want to be published doing. — Brandon Sanderson

Nothing will train you to write better as a writer, than working on your next book. — Brandon Sanderson

You could be writing the book that changes your life. — Brandon Sanderson

I Write those words in steel for anything else not set in metal cannot be trusted — Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson Quotes About Love

I'm not really sure why. But... do you stop loving someone just because they betray you? I don't think so. That's what makes the betrayal hurt so much - pain, frustration, anger... and I still loved her. I still do. — Brandon Sanderson

I think given the choice between loving Mare - betrayal included - and never knowing her, I'd chose love. I risked, and I lost, but the risk was still worth it. — Brandon Sanderson

Oh my lovely princess,"Raoden whispered. "You probably mean well, but handing these people food is the worst thing you could do to them." -Brandon Sanderson(Elantris) — Brandon Sanderson

I love to do what I do. So, I do work long hours. — Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson Quotes About Fantasy

This is going to take a while. I'm a fantasy author. We have trouble with the concept of brevity. — Brandon Sanderson

So, when people try to give you some book with a shiny round award on the cover, be kind and gracious, but tell them you don't read "fantasy," because you prefer stories that are real. Then come back here and continue your research on the cult of evil Librarians who secretly rule the world. — Brandon Sanderson

Fantasy has had some problems with being too repetitive, in my opinion. I try to read what other people are doing - and say, 'How can I add to this rather than just recycle it? How can I stand on Tolkien's shoulders rather than stand tied to his kneecaps? — Brandon Sanderson

Remember, despite the fact that this book is being sold as a 'fantasy' novel, you must take all of the things it says extremely seriously, as they are quite important, are in no way silly, and always make sense. Rutabaga. — Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson Famous Quotes And Sayings

Marsh: Our best efforts were never even a mild annoyance to the Lord Ruler." Kelsier: Ah, but being an annoyance is something that I am very good at. In fact, I'm far more than just a 'mild' annoyance--people tell me I can be downright frustrating. Might as well use this talent for the cause of good, eh? — Brandon Sanderson

I try to avoid having thoughts. They lead to other thoughts, and—if you’re not careful—those lead to actions. Actions make you tired. I have this on rather good authority from someone who once read it in a book. — Brandon Sanderson

Personally, I like it much better when someone else does the decision making. That way you have legitimate grounds to whine and complain. I tend to find both whining and complaining quite interesting and amusing, though sometimes--unfortunately--it's hard to choose which one of the two I want to do. Sigh. LIfe can be so tough sometimes. — Brandon Sanderson

Those who take lightly promises they make to those they love are people who find little lasting satisfaction in life. This is not an easy time in which to live. That does not mean that it has to be a difficult time to love, but it does mean that you will find unusual stresses upon your lives and your relationship. — Brandon Sanderson

If I should die,” Dalinar said, “then I would do so having lived my life right. It is not the destination that matters, but how one arrives there.” “The Codes?” “No. The Way of Kings.” “That storming book. — Brandon Sanderson

Too many scholars think of research as purely a cerebral pursuit. If we do nothing with the knowledge we gain, then we have wasted our study. Books can store information better than we can--what we we do that books cannot is interpret. So if one is not going to draw conclusions, then one might as well just leave the information in the texts. — Brandon Sanderson

Those candle flames were like the lives of men. So fragile. So deadly. Left alone, they lit and warmed. Let run rampant, they would destroy the very things they were meant to illuminate. Embryonic bonfires, each bearing a seed of destruction so potent it could tumble cities and dash kings to their knees. — Brandon Sanderson

If you don't believe what I'm telling you, then ask yourself this: would any decent, kind-hearted individual become a writer? Of course not. — Brandon Sanderson

For now, I only wish to make a simple acknowledgement of the woman who held the power just before me. Of all of us who touched it, I feel she was the most worthy. — Brandon Sanderson

What is it we value? Innovation. Originality. Novelty. But most importantly...timeliness. I fear you may be too late, my confused, unfortunate, friend. — Brandon Sanderson

If you are anything like me --- Clever, fond of goat cheese, and devilishly handsome --- then you have undoubtedly read many books. — Brandon Sanderson

There has to be a balance, Vin," Elend said. "Somehow, we'll find it. The balance between whom we wish to be and whom we need to be." He sighed. "But for now," he said, nodding to the side, "we simply have to be satisfied with who we are. — Brandon Sanderson

A man can only lead when others accept him as their leader, and he has only as much authority as his subjects give to him. All of the brilliant ideas in the world cannot save your kingdom if no one will listen to them. — Brandon Sanderson

Overcome your guilt. Care, but not too much. Take responsibility, but don't blame yourself. Protect, save, help- but know when to give up. They're precarious ledges to walk. How do I do it? — Brandon Sanderson

I killed you once", the Lord Ruler said, turning back to Kelsier. "You tried", Kelsier replied, his voice loud and firm, carrying across the square. "But you can't kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent that thing you've never been able to kill no matter how hard you try. I am hope. — Brandon Sanderson

There are no endings, and never will be endings, to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was an ending. — Brandon Sanderson

I'm an amalgamation of what I've needed to be. Part scholar, part rebel, part nobleman, part Mistborn, and part soldier. Sometimes I don't even know myself. I had a devil of a time getting all those pieces to work together. And, just when I'm starting to get it figured out, the world up and ends on me. — Brandon Sanderson

So, using his pride like a shield against despair, dejection, and-most important— self-pity, Raoden raised his head to stare damnation in the eyes. — Brandon Sanderson

Llarimar had told him to do his best. That sounded like an awful lot of work. Unfortunately, doing nothing was beginning to seem like even MORE work. — Brandon Sanderson

Not all librarians are evil cultists. Some librarians are instead vengeful undead who want to suck your soul. — Brandon Sanderson

The problem with being clever, Serene thought with a sigh, is that everyone assumes you're always planning something. — Brandon Sanderson

Eternity ended ten years ago. — Brandon Sanderson

Yes, Bastille. I keep trying to get killed because it's inconvenient for you. — Brandon Sanderson

It is a writer's greatest pleasure to hear that someone was kept up until the unholy hours of the morning reading one of their books — Brandon Sanderson

I've found you can ignore half of what Dox tells you and not miss much-except for maybe they occasional complaint that you're spending too much. — Brandon Sanderson

Breeze turned to look out the window. "You were always the best of us, Sazed," he said quietly. "Because you believed in something. — Brandon Sanderson

Men rarely see their own actions as unjustified. — Brandon Sanderson

She remembered timidly standing atop the Luthadel city wall, afraid to use her Allomancy to jump off, despite Kelsier's coaxing. Now she could step off a cliff and muse thoughtfully to herself on the way down. — Brandon Sanderson

Ignorance is hardly unusual, Miss Davar. The longer I live, the more I come to realize that it is the natural state of the human mind. There are many who will strive to defend its sanctity and then expect you to be impressed with their efforts. — Brandon Sanderson

When I do research, I cast my net very widely and then snatch what feels right out of that. Occasionally I'll read a specific book for a specific book, but usually I'm trying to increase my general understanding. — Brandon Sanderson

Boys, welcome to the wonderful world of talking to women about their feelings. As a handy primer, here are a few things you should know: 1) Women have feelings. 2) You will spend the next seventy years or so trying to guess what they're feeling and why. 3) You will be wrong most of the time. 4) I like French Fries. — Brandon Sanderson

‎"To Parlin's mind, nothing showed affection like a hunk of something dead and bleeding on the table. — Brandon Sanderson

So, there I was, tied to an altar made from outdated encyclopedias, about to get sacrificed to the dark powers by a cult of evil Librarians. — Brandon Sanderson

Well, then," he said. "Let's do it." "What?" Vin asked. "Save the world." Elend said. "Stop the ash. — Brandon Sanderson

We were like deaf people trying to dance to a beat we couldn't hear, long after the music actually stopped. — Brandon Sanderson

Now, I had been frightened on several different occasions in my life. The most frightening of these involved an elevator and a mime. — Brandon Sanderson

The motivations of men. They never make sense. And they always make sense. — Brandon Sanderson

God is the creator of all things, right? He is the force that dictates the laws of the universe, and is therefore the ultimate source of ethics. He is absolute morality... We claim to be doing good. But the Lord Ruler - as God - defines what is good. So by opposing him we're actually evil. But since he's doing the wrong thing, does evil actually count as good in this case? — Brandon Sanderson

I was ten,” I said. “Give me a little credit.” “To a boy with aspirations like that, I would extend my respect—but not credit. Or life insurance.” Abraham sounded amused. “You are an interesting man, David Charleston, but you sound like you were an even more interesting child. — Brandon Sanderson

In the end, all men die. How you lived will be far more important to the Almighty than what you accomplished. — Brandon Sanderson

Somehow, she had grown into a woman in between the fall of kings and collapse of worlds. Once she had been terrified of change. Then she had been terrified of losing Elend. Now her fears were more nebulous - worries of what would come after she was gone, worries of what would happen to the people of the empire if she failed. — Brandon Sanderson

It's not imitating anything; it has become a better version of itself. — Brandon Sanderson

I have a smoke grenade in my room," I said. "What?" Megan asked. "How?" "I grew up working at a munitions plant," I said. "We mostly made rifles and handguns, but we worked with other factories. I got to pick up the occasional goody from the QC reject pile." "A smoke grenade is a goody?" Cody asked. I frowned. What did he mean? Of course it was. Who wouldn't want a smoke grenade when offered one? — Brandon Sanderson

Small things were important. Secods were small things, and if you heaped enough of those on top of one another, they became a man's life. — Brandon Sanderson

I point out truths when I see them, Brightlord Sadeas. Each man has his place. Mine is to make insults. Yours is to be in-sluts. — Brandon Sanderson

At times, it seems to me that to be human is to want that which we cannot have. For some, this is power. For me, it is peace. — Brandon Sanderson

It was strange, how easily and quickly protection could cause destruction. Sometimes, Vasher wondered if the two weren't really the same thing. Protect a flower, destroy pests who wanted to feed on it. Protect a building, destroy the plants that could have grown in the soil. Protect a man. Live with the destruction he creates. — Brandon Sanderson

The more limitations you put on a character often times the better a character you'll make them, the more interesting the story becomes because the character can't simply wave a hand and make something happen. They have to work within the framework. — Brandon Sanderson

War is far worse. At least where politics is going on, there are usually nice hors d’oeuvres. — Brandon Sanderson

You people are all insane. How I ended up with you, I'll never know." Breeze laughed. "Now, that's a lie, Cett. You know exactly how you ended up joining with us. We threatened to kill you if you didn't! — Brandon Sanderson

How do you fight someone smarter than yourself?' Rand Whispered. 'The answer is simple. You make her think that you are sitting down across the table from her, ready to play her game. Then you punch her in the face as hard as you can. — Brandon Sanderson

Kelsier smiled. 'It means that you, Vin, are a very special person. You have a power that most high noblemen envy. It is a power that, had you been born an aristocrat, would have made you one of the most deadly and influential people in all of the final empire.' Kelsier leaned forward again. 'But, you weren't born an aristocrat. You're not noble, Vin. You don't have to play by their rules--and that makes you even more powerful. — Brandon Sanderson

My outlines are always very goal-based. What do I want to have happen by the ending and how can I earn that. — Brandon Sanderson

It's a mystery," Vin said, narrowing her eyes and smiling. "We Mistborn are incredibly mysterious." Elend paused." Um...I'm Mistborn too, Vin. That doesn't make any sense." "We Mistborn need not make sense," Vin said." It's beneath us. Come on-the sun's already down. We need to get moving. — Brandon Sanderson

I had Eondel teach me," Raoden said. "Back when I was trying to find ways to prove that my father's laws were foolish. Eondel chose fencing becausehe thought it would be most useful to me, as a politician. I never figured I'd end up using it to keep my wife from slicing me to pieces. — Brandon Sanderson

Impossible things are really rough to do, you know. — Brandon Sanderson

The right belief is like a good cloak, I think. If it fits you well, it keeps you warm and safe. The wrong fit however, can suffocate. — Brandon Sanderson

You will find that hate can unify people more quickly and more fervently than devotion ever could. — Brandon Sanderson

Every action we take has consequences, Vin," Kelsier said. "I've found that in both Allomancy and life, the person who can best judge the consequences of their actions will be the most successful. — Brandon Sanderson

Words are where most change begins. — Brandon Sanderson

Our belief is often strongest when it should be weakest. That is the nature of hope. — Brandon Sanderson

If we must put our head into the lion’s mouth, let us make certain that he chokes upon our flesh! — Brandon Sanderson

You should try not to talk so much, friend. You'll sound far less stupid that way. - Breeze — Brandon Sanderson

She loved the teachings of the Five Visions. Humility. Sacrifice. Seeing another's problems before your own. Yet she was beginning to think that she-- along with others-- had taken this belief too far, letting her desire to seem humble become a form of pride itself. She now saw that when her faith had become about clothing instead of people, it had taken a wrong turn. — Brandon Sanderson

How do you do that?” Mennis asked, frowning. “What?” “Smile so much.” “Oh, I’m just a happy person. — Brandon Sanderson

To live is to have worries and uncertainties. Keep them inside, and they will destroy you for certain--leaving behind a person so callused that emotion can find no root in his heart. — Brandon Sanderson

How do you 'accidentally' kill a noble man in his own mansion?" "With a knife in the chest. Or, rather, a pair of knives in the chest. — Brandon Sanderson

anyone know where Kell is?" "Sleeping," Vin said. "He came in late last night, and hasn't gotten up yet." Ham grunted, taking a bite of baywrap. "Dox?" "In his room on the third floor," Vin said. "He got up early, came down to get something to eat, and went back upstairs." ... Ham raised an eyebrow. "You always keep track of where everyone is like that?" "Yes. — Brandon Sanderson

He found insanity no excuse, however, for irrational behavior. — Brandon Sanderson

A man was defined not by his flaws, but by how he overcame them. — Brandon Sanderson

I was thinking that work is like fertilizer in that I'm glad it exists; I just don't ever want to get stuck in it. — Brandon Sanderson

Being in charge isn't always about telling people what to do. Sometimes, it's about knowing when to step out of the way of people who know what they're doing. - Tam al'Thor — Brandon Sanderson

Wherever it may be, whoever may hold it. That's who I am. — Brandon Sanderson

I need something, Wax. A place to look. You always did the thinking.” “Yes, having a brain helps with that, surprisingly. — Brandon Sanderson

I like words. And I always learn a few new ones when Father gets angry. I shouldn't neglect my education, now should I? — Brandon Sanderson

My behavior is nonetheless, deplorable. Unfortunately, I'm quite prone to such bouts of deplorability--take for instance, my fondness for reading books at the dinner table. — Brandon Sanderson

Why did they believe? Because they saw miracles. Things one man took as chance, a man of faith took as a sign. A loved one recovering from disease, a fortunate business deal, a chance meeting with a long lost friend. It wasn't the grand doctrines or the sweeping ideals that seemed to make believers out of men. It was the simple magic in the world around them. — Brandon Sanderson

The Stormlight rising from his exposed skin was enough to illuminate the chasm, and it cast shadows on the walls as he ran. Those seemed to become figures, crafted by the bones and branches stretching from the heaps on the ground. Bodies and souls. His movement made the shadows twist, as if turning to regard him. — Brandon Sanderson

What did it mean to be called “lord”? I’ll assume you’ve never had the honor, since I doubt any of you happen to be British royalty. (And, if by chance you are, then let me say, “Hello, Your Majesty! Welcome to my stupid book. Can I borrow some cash?”) — Brandon Sanderson

The best performances, are those that can be performed once. — Brandon Sanderson

Belief?" "Yes," Sazed said. "Tell me, Mistress. What is it that you believe?" Vin frowned. "What kind of question is that?" "The most important kind, I think. — Brandon Sanderson

What? Is that boy crazy?" "Most young men his age are somewhat crazy, I think," Sazed said with a smile. "However, this is hardly unexpected. Haven't you noticed how he stares at you when you enter a room?" "I thought he was just creepy. — Brandon Sanderson

I'm convinced that responsibility is some kind of psychological disease. — Brandon Sanderson

Do not deride someone's faith simply because you do not share it, Lord Cladent," Sazed said quietly. — Brandon Sanderson

Life Lessons by Brandon Sanderson

1. Brandon Sanderson emphasizes the importance of hard work and dedication in order to achieve success. He encourages readers to never give up and to keep pushing towards their goals, no matter how difficult they may seem.
2. He also teaches readers to be creative and to think outside the box when it comes to problem solving. He encourages readers to be open to new ideas and to take risks in order to reach their desired outcome.
3. Lastly, Sanderson emphasizes the importance of having a strong moral compass and never compromising one's values in order to achieve success. He teaches readers to stay true to themselves and to always strive to do the right thing.