9 Quotes & Sayings By Brian Staveley

Brian Staveley is a writer who has quickly become one of the preeminent forces in both fantasy and science fiction. His first novel, Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, earned him a spot on Rolling Stone's list of "Best New Writers" and the Libris Award for "Best First Novel." In 2014, his second novel, The Providence of Fire, was named one of the top ten books of the year by the British Fantasy Society. In 2017 Brian won the inaugural Campbell Award from The World Science Fiction Society for his novella "The Rose and The Thorn," which he also co-wrote with editor John Joseph Adams. He currently resides in western Massachusetts with his wife and three children, where he continues to write and teach creative writing at Harvard Extension School.

1
Oh for ’Shael’s sweet sake, girl, you think you can rule an empire without lying? You think your father didn’t lie? Or his father? Or any of your goldy-eyed great-great-founders of Annur? It’s built into the job. Bakers have flour, fishermen have nets, and leaders have lies. Brian Staveley
2
Leadership isn't just about giving orders. A fool can give orders. A leader listens. He changes his mind. He acknowledges mistakes. Brian Staveley
3
Her anger, so useful just moments before, was getting the better of her now. She could hear it; she was too loud. Nira had counseled her again and again on the importance of holding her tongue and her peace. Ironic, given the source, but good advice all the same. Brian Staveley
4
If you intend to heal the breach, ” she went on, “as you claim. If you intend to abide by the treaty we have both signed, then I am the Emperor, Annur’s Emperor, and your Emperor, and you will address me properly.”“ I’ve always found that those most insistent on their titles, ” Moss replied, “are those least deserving of them. Brian Staveley
5
This is what we are for, Alin, ” the older guardsman said, turning to his companion. Adare had never heard anyone use Birch’s first name. She hadn’t even known it herself. “Our lives for hers. If she refuses this, there’s no saying what the zealots will do to her.”“ There’s no saying what the zealots will do if she agrees, ” Birch pointed out. “We can’t save her if we’re dead.”“ That is a risk that the princess will have to assess for herself. Our duty is to serve.”“ I thought service meant fighting, ” Birch protested, but the anger had gone out of him. Resignation thinned his voice.“ Sometimes, Alin, ” Fulton replied, nodding. “And sometimes it means dying. Brian Staveley
6
Believe what you see with your eyes, trust what you hear with your ears; know what you feel with your flesh. The rest is dream and delusion. Brian Staveley
7
The mind is a flame. Blow it out, or it will blind you. Brian Staveley
8
Justice, as it turned out, was a lot harder than war. War was largely a series of technical questions, a matter of taking living human bodies and making them dead. There were infinite variations in the tactics and the strategy, of course, nuances in weaponry and technique, but the basic premise was bedrock: you’d done it right if you were alive at the end of the day, and the other poor fool was not. Brian Staveley