Science Fiction/Fantasy

28 of the Greatest WHEEL OF TIME Quotes

The Wheel of Time series is loved for Robert Jordan’s sharp turns of phrase, which still feel relevant today. These are our favorite Wheel of Time quotes.

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If you’re seeking the next epic sprawling TV show to fill that Game of Thrones–sized shape in your heart, never fear, Wheel of Time is on its way to Amazon Studios. We don’t have a release date yet, but we do have this sneak peek at the cast , including Rosamund Pike, and this list of Wheel of Time quotes to pique your interest. With 14 novels to the series plus a prequel novella, Robert Jordan’s notoriously massive series has an equally massive fandom, with over 80 million copies sold since the first book released in 1990. It was a true tragedy that a terminal illness led to his death before he was able to finish the series himself, though Brandon Sanderson took up the mantle for the final three novels from Jordan’s notes, to praise from fans. Wheel of Time has long been beloved by fantasy readers for its refreshing departure from the stereotypical fantasy tropes of the period, a la Lord of the Rings, as well as the elaborate world-building to rival its predecessor. Its cast is equally extensive, and features as many women among the lead roles as men, with just as much depth and complexity—another refreshing shift to the status quo for this genre. But perhaps most of all, Wheel of Time is loved for Jordan’s sharp turns of phrase, which are full of wit and wax philosophic in a way that has held up to scrutiny and often feels painfully relevant today. Here are 28 of the greatest Wheel of Time quotes of the series.

The Best Wheel of Time Quotes

  1. “Hope is like a piece of string when you’re drowning. It just isn’t enough to get you out by itself.” —The Eye of the World
  1. “You can never know everything, and part of what you know is always wrong. Perhaps even the most important part. A portion of wisdom lies in knowing that. A portion of courage lies in going on anyways.” —The Eye of the World
  1. “The fact that the price must be paid is proof it is worth paying.” —The Eye of the World
  • “Well perhaps you humans do have short lives but you do so much with them. Always jumping around, always so hasty and you have the whole world to do it in.” —The Eye of the World
  • “The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again.” —The Eye of the World
  • “It was easier to be brave when someone needed your protection.” —The Eye of the World
  • “I’ve seen men die because they were sure that what should not happen, would not.” —The Eye of the World
  • “Run when you have to, fight when you must, rest when you can.” —The Eye of the World
  • “In wars, boy, fools kill other fools for foolish causes.” —To the Blight
    1. “Some men […] choose to seek greatness, while others are forced to it. It is always better to choose than to be forced. A man who is forced is never completely his own master. He must dance on the strings of those who forced him.” —The Great Hunt
    2. “Duty is heavy as a mountain, death is light as a feather.” —The Great Hunt (Originally from the Japanese Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors)
    1. “But men often mistake killing and revenge for justice. They seldom have the stomach for justice.” —The Great Hunt
    2. “If you must mount the gallows, give a jest to the crowd, a coin the hangman, and make the drop with a smile on your lips.” —The Fires of Heaven
  • “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” —The Fires of Heaven
  • “Almost dead yesterday, maybe dead tomorrow, but alive, gloriously alive, today.” —Lord of Chaos
  • “We are always more afraid than we wish to be, but we can always be braver than we expect.” —Lord of Chaos
  • “Stories have power. Gleemen’s tales, and bards’ epics, and rumors in the street alike. They stir passions, and change the way men see the world.” —Winter’s Heart
  • “A man who trusts everyone is a fool and a man who trusts no one is a fool. We are all fools if we live long enough.” —Winter’s Heart
  • “He was swimming in a sea of other people’s expectations. Men had drowned in seas like that.” —New Spring
  • “Anyone who claimed that old age had brought them patience was either lying or senile.” —The Gathering Storm
  • “Small hopes can grow surprising fruit.” —Knife of Dreams
    Want even more epic fantasy? Check out our list of the best epic fantasy series here.