I have a huge emotional attachment to characters I've created, especially the viewpoint characters.

Tyrion Lannister could not have been more astonished if Aegon the Conqueror himself had burst into the room, riding on a dragon and juggling lemon pies.

Nothing bores me more than books where you read two pages and you know exactly how it's going to come out. I want twists and turns that surprise me, characters that have a difficult time and that I don't know if they're going to live or die.

Jon: Have you seen the wall? | Sam: I'm fat, not blind.

Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used against you

There are no heroes...in life, the monsters win.

The man is as useless as nipples on a breastplate.