When left to its own devices it tends to make me look as if I’ve been set afire.

Character is half the reason we read. We're excited because of the plot, but we care because of the characters.

Close your mouth, E'lir Kvothe, or I will feel obliged to put some vile tonic in it.

Abenthy gave me an appraising look. I'd been waiting for it. It was the look that said, "You don't sound as young as you look." I hoped he'd come to grips with it fairly soon. It gets tiresome being spoken to as if you are a child, even if you happen to be one.

The framed tale is, in my opinion, one of the most natural ways to tell a story. If you think of it, the conceit of the frame-less story is actually the odd way of doing things. Without the frame, how do you know the context for a story?

She looked at me. "What? Is there something wrong with my idea?" "It's not very heroic," I said dismissively. "I was expecting something with a little more flair." "Well, I left my armor and warhorse at home," she said. "You're just upset because your big University brain couldn't think of a way, and my plan is brilliant.

She taught me I should never do anything in private I did not want talked about in public, and cautioned me not to talk in my sleep.