There were two things going on: 1) I had already established in my own mind where I wanted to go with the next series, and having James around as a Grey Eminence would have complicated matters. He had had an amazing life and it was time to bid him good-bye.

You would do well to know, Marcus, that irritating a better swordsman than yourself is a good way to end up dead.

The brave man is not the one without fear but the one who does what he must despite being afraid. To succeed, you must be willing to risk total failure; you must learn this.

You can only have one first born child. You may love all your children deeply and with passion, but there is something unique about the first born.

Altruism accrues little benefit to those lying cold in the gutter.

I know you'll think this odd, but I find it strangely exhilarating not knowing what's coming next.

There are many ways to love someone. Sometimes we want love so much, we're not too choosy about who we love. Other times, we make love such a pure and noble thing, no poor human can ever meet our vision. But for the most part, love is a recognition, an opportunity to say, "There is something about you I cherish." It doesn't entail marriage, or even physical love. There's love of parents, love of city or nation, love of life, and love of people. All different, all love.