A great many of the epic fantasies, from The Lord of the Rings onward, are about war, but to my mind, a lot of it doesn't really deal honestly with the consequences of war, what war does to us, as a society, what war does to us, as individuals, and the struggle for power, in the same way, and what we're fighting for.

Give me a good sharp knife and a good sharp cheese and I’m a happy man.

The real issue lies in the North beyond the Wall. Stannis becomes one of the few characters fully to understand that, which is why in spite of everything he is a righteous man.

We're all just songs in the end. If we are lucky.

A long summer always meant a long winter to come.

I heard of a man who had a razor made of Valyrian steel. He cut his head off trying to shave.

Some doors are best left closed.