You don't just have people who wake up in the morning and say, "What evil things can I do today, because I'm Mr. Evil?" People do things for what they think are justified reasons. Everybody is the hero of their own story, and you have to keep that in mind. If you read a lot of history, as I do, even the worst and most monstrous people thought they were the good guys. We're all very tangled knots.

Ser Cleos looked like a weasel, fought like a goose, and had the courage of an especially brave ewe.

Those are brave men," he told Ser Balon in admiration. "Let's go kill them.

I've always taken that as my guiding principle and the rest is just set dressing. You can have dragons in it, or aliens and starships, or a western about a gunslinger, or even literary fiction, and ultimately you're still writing about the human heart in conflict with itself.

I am the blood of the dragon. Do not presume to teach me lessons.

Great wrongs have been done you, but the past is dust. The future may yet be won.

a man who hates music can’t be trusted, I always say.