One of the great things about books is you can afford to do anything.
George R. R. MartinRead
Once a man has seen a dragon in flight, let him stay home and tend his garden in content, someone had written once, for this wide world has no greater wonder." Tyrion scratched at his scar and tried to recall the author's name.
Interpretation
The quote suggests that experiencing something extraordinary makes everyday life seem more fulfilling and sufficient.
This quote reflects a philosophical perspective on the nature of wonder and satisfaction in life. It implies that once one has witnessed something as magnificent as a dragon in flight, the mundane aspects of daily life, like tending to a garden, become not just tolerable but enriching. The idea evokes the notion that extraordinary experiences amplify our appreciation for the simple joys and beauty of life.
In practice
A motivational speaker might use this quote to inspire people to appreciate the beauty in their daily lives.
One of the great things about books is you can afford to do anything.
I hate outlines. I have a broad sense of where the story is going; I know the end, I know the end of the principal characters, and I know the major turning points and events from the books, the climaxes for each book, but I don't necessarily know each twist and turn along the way. That's something I discover in the course of writing and that's what makes writing enjoyable. I think if I outlined comprehensively and stuck to the outline the actual writing would be boring.
There is only one god and his name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: “Not today.
I did not do it. Yet now I wish I had.’ He turned to face the hall, that sea of pale faces. ‘I wish I had enough poison for you all. You make me sorry that I am not the monster you would have me be, yet there it is. I am innocent, but I will get no justice here.
But a voice inside her whispered, There are no heroes, and she remembered what Lord Petyr had said to her, here in this very hall. 'Life is not a song, sweetling,' he'd told her, 'You may learn that one day to your sorrow.' In life, the monsters win, she told herself.
I write from this tight third-person viewpoint, where each chapter is seen through the eyes of one individual character. When I'm writing that character, I become that character and identify with that character.
I am a man, and whatever concerns humanity is of interest to me.
Whoever serves his country well has no need of ancestors.
The use of a mere dozen nuclear weapons ... would be a human catastrophe without parallel. ... Because so few weapons can kill so many people, even far-reaching disarmament proposals would leave us implicated in plans for unprecedented slaughter of innocent people. The sole measure that can free us from this burden is abolition.
That I am a monk and you are a layman is of no importance ... rather that we are both in the light of the Holy Spirit ... Acquire peace, and thousands around you will be saved.
A lot of people pulled me up after 'Trainspotting' for its absence of politics, but the argument I make is that the absence of politics is political as well.
His lordship may compel us to be equal upstairs, but there will never be equality in the servants' hall.
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