[ Oathbringer Sentence Starters ]
-from Book 3 of The Stormlight Archive by B. Sanderson
“ [Name] chooses, I just go where they point me. ”
“ What’s your name, assassin? ”
“ He’s got a hole in his chest. Tough break. ”
“ I think you underestimate the stubbornness a crown can press into a man or woman’s mind. ”
“ Don’t insist on carrying this failure as a burden. ”
“ Your stubborn refusal to get seduced is making me question my feminine wiles. ”
“ Your life is defined by deciding what you want, then seizing it. ”
“ Oaths are the soul of righteousness. ”
“ And what made you think I needed saving? ”
“ What you’ve become is a killer. You solve problems with the fist and the sword. ”
“ Please don’t be stubborn, for once in your life. ”
“ If anyone would be able to go about intimidating forces of nature, it would be you. ”
“ You’re not going to hurt anyone. You’re here to save us. ”
“ It wasn’t a lecture, it was a creative application of my tongue to keep you distracted. ”
“ Is there really someone out there who looks at relationships and thinks, ‘You know what, I’ve got this’? Personally, I rather think we’re all collectively idiots about it. ”
“ I was merely one in a long line of idiots given the ability to kill people too easily. ”
“ My ‘freedom’ is that of a leaf. Dropped from the tree, I just blow on the wind and pretend I’m in charge of my destiny. “
“ You’re worried you can’t live up to his expectations, aren’t you? ”
“ Don’t deflect your evils by pointing out the faults of others. ”
“ You fight like you lead, [name]. Reckless. ”
“ I’m afraid it might be dangerous, and it will probably involve you getting a little drunk. ”
“ Sometimes a hypocrite is nothing more than a person who is in the process of changing. ”
“ I assume we’re heading down into this awful crypt of terror? ”
“ No matter what you are told, know this: I do not wish to be your enemy. ”
“ Did I find what was right, or did I just finally agree to see things the way you wanted? ”
“ But how did you even survive in the first place? ”
“ What would you have me do? Would you have me watch the world crumble? ”
“ Maybe all the good men are dead, so all you have is me! ”
“ I, [name], will now fly. You may applaud as you feel is appropriate. ”
“ You are obviously one of the stupid ones I mentioned earlier. ”
“ When you say these things, you are almost not bitter! ”
“ You are so wonderfully respectful, it borders on being silly. ”
“ Fighting makes you strong, but also callous. ”
“ You decide how you are defined. Don’t surrender that to them. ”
“ None of us want to talk about this, but that does not make it any less inevitable. ”
“ I’ve lived long enough to see the consequences of what I’ve done. ”
“ Your butt is too nice. Old guys shouldn’t have tight butts. ”
“ They kill with fear first and the sword second. Stand your ground. ”
“ Why must we always take something precious, [name], and find ourselves hating it? As if by being pure, it reminds us of just how little we deserve it. ”
“ The first of you that says something placating gets a fist in the face. ”
“ As long as you keep trying, there’s a chance. When you give up? That’s when the dream dies. ”
“ In my painful experience, the truth may be simple, but it is rarely easy. ”
“ Remind me to find whoever told you and have them hanged. ”
“ If I weren’t a woman, I suspect we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Unless I were a pig. Then you’d be doubly interested. ”
“ [Name] likes other guys. That’s like… he wants to be even less around women than the rest of us. That’s the opposite of feminine. He is, you could say, extra manly. ”
“ You took control for the greater good. ”
Defying Truth, Love Truth
“ Your honest face doesn’t have to be that of a killer, [name]. ”
“ Give me your shirt, and we’ll call it even. ”
“ Once the soul grows accustomed to the wound, it’s much harder to fix. ”
“ That is positively wretched. I’m impressed. ”
“ Dignified? Since when have you cared about dignity? ”
“ He is insane. Do not look for meaning in his actions. ”
“ I’ve been in enough battles to know when I’ve found one I can’t win. ”
“ You look like you could use the opportunity to buy me something to eat. ”
“ Why am I talking to you of all people? ”
“ I’m so storming clever that half the time, even I can’t follow what I’m talking about. ”
“ Having power is a terrible burden, the worst thing imaginable, except for every other alternative. What is power to you, [name]? ”
“ You’ve got to have some story. I’d love to hear it. ”
“ Don’t kill today. Hold back the monster. ”
“ You know what I need for the apocalypse? You know what would be really handy? A new coat. Extra sequins.”
“ Don’t run too fast toward danger, all right? ”
“ You have been betrayed, [name]. Listen. ”
“ They must bleed. I want them to suffer for this. ”
“ You boys done comparing your swords? ”
“ Don’t think I missed you going up and paying for the damage when I wasn’t looking. ”
“ Let’s go steal from some rich people and give to some crazy people instead. ”
“ I’m not fond of the memories that earned me the scar. ”
“ I cannot judge the worth of a life. I would not dare to attempt it. ”
“ Do you wish that you could go back to not being able to see? ”
“ Live. And let your failures be part of you. ”
“ …that sounds an awful lot like a moral, [name]. ”
“ Accept the pain, but don’t accept that you deserved it. ”
“ How many is that I owe you now? ”
“ Give me your passion, your hunger, your longing, your loss. ”
“ Stop it! Stop killing each other! ”
“ Have you ever come to the sudden realization that you’re not the man everyone thinks you are? ”
“ This is the sacrifice, isn’t it? Someone must bear the responsibility. Someone must be dragged down by it, ruined by it. Someone must stain their soul so others may live. ”
“ I like you. I like the pain in your eyes. Friendly pain. Companionable pain. ”
“ I’m dead. We’re dead, and this is Damnation. ”
“ I think you’re super trustworthy. And I’m a good judge of people. ”
“ Do you want to talk about it? That moment when you froze during practice? ”
“ Great job! Did we… did we destroy lots of evil? ”
“ You just need to rest, after all the fighting you did. ”
“ Please. Anything. I don’t know how to get free of this. Help me. Help me… ”
“ The world should end more often. It makes everyone so much more accommodating. ”
“ I will do what I can, but I’m not sure he trusts me any longer. ”
“ Wow. I kind of feel bad for you. ”
“ I found out you don’t like good puns - it’s truly possible to know too much about somebody. ”
“ If I could smother these emotions, I’d do so eagerly. ”
“ Is this leadership? To cry each night? To shake and tremble? ”
“ You were a ruler among your kind, weren’t you? Why did you leave? ”
“ You can’t just abandon responsibility because you feel like it. ”
“ Sometimes, the best way to do your duty is to let someone else - someone more capable - try carrying it. ”
“ I have practice following fools in their reckless pursuits. ”
“ Maybe you shouldn’t be looking for life to be easier because you choose to do something that is right! ”
“ I expected you to lead us, not sulk. ”
“ You’re more patient than I deserve. You should have dumped me out of bed and poured the wine on my head. ”
“ No advice? Everyone always seems to have loads. ”
“ You’re not supposed to condone something like this! ”
“ I think I know what it’s like to feel like you’re lying to the world. ”
“ Kind of hard to compete with that. ”
“ Peace. No Desolation. No war. What would it cost? ”
“ Maybe someday you’ll learn how to be there for the living, not just for the dead. ”
“ We’re supposed to be the good guys, you know? ”
“ Is this not what you’ve been doing? Pretending that you aren’t a monster? ”
“ You smell of desperation. ”
“ I will not make of you the man you can become. ”
“ What is the most important step a man can take? ”
“ You don’t want me. I’m broken. ”
“ She once tried to eat your cummerbund. ”
“ She kicked me in my spheres and stuffed me under the bed. ”
“ A god is dead. Another won the war by right of conquest. ”
“ Don’t be stupid. Let’s go fight those guys. ”
“ Humans are always claiming things. But nobody asks the things, now do they? ”
“ If that was a challenge, you against me, then I accept. Gladly. ”
“ I cannot see the right any longer. My own decisions are not trustworthy. ”
“ This is your true desire, not forced upon you? You were not beguiled or tricked in any way? ”
“ I believe I warned you that I knew you’d make the right decision. And here we are. ”
“ Let me have the pain, [name]. Give it to me, and never feel guilty again. ”
“ I care not for the shape of the tool, only that it cuts. ”
“ Whatever it is, we’ll fix it. We’ll survive this, somehow. ”
“ YOU CANNOT HAVE MY PAIN! ”
“ If I pretend… If I pretend I didn’t do those things, it means that I can’t have grown to become someone else. ”
“ Journey before destination. It cannot be a journey if it doesn’t have a beginning. ”
“ I will take responsibility for what I have done. If I must fall, I will rise each time a better man. ”
“ Maybe you don’t have to save everyone, [name]. Maybe it’s time for someone to save you. ”
“ Life breaks us, [name]. Then we fill the cracks with something stronger. ”
“ I will protect those I hate. Even… even if the one I hate most… is… myself. ”
“ Surgeons should take more care with the clothing they cut open. If a man’s going to live, he’ll want that shirt. And if he dies… well, he should at least be well dressed on his deathbed. ”
“ Time to fight, right? Accept death, and die slaying as many as possible? I’m ready. Let’s do it. I’m ready to be a noble sacrifice. ”
“ Your weird face is burden enough for one man. ”
“ You’ll get yourself killed fighting this thing! ”
“ After I was forced to kill them, I… hurt. Until I realized. It wasn’t my fault. None of this is my fault. ”
“ I made you, [name]! I gave you that granite will, that warrior’s poise. This, the person you’ve become, was my gift! ”
“ Didn’t you tell me you’d given up that grief? ”
“ Ten spears go to battle, and nine shatter. Did that war forge the one that remained? No, [name]. All the war did was identify the spear that would not break. ”
“ Thank you for giving me strength when I needed it. Now, old friend, it is time to rest. ”
“ If you need any jokes, I’ve got a few I can’t use anymore. ”
“ Do you really think you will ever be able to negotiate with me from a position of power? ”
“ I stopped him because it needed to be done, and because I knew you would never be able to do it. ”
“ At least being hated is better than nothing. ”
“ You are less a human being, and more a lump of dung with aspirations. ”
“ Life before death, little one. ”
