Quotes

As the War of the Five Kings draws to an end, the remnants of its terror and destruction linger in everyone’s minds, and they express their fears and sorrows through quotes.

After the death of Robb, Joffrey, Tywin, and Balon Greyjoy, an abyss gets created in the minds of everyone, one that brings uncertainty about the future of Westeros. The abyss becomes ruling darkness that seeps into the minds of everyone, from the common folk to the ruling council. As ‘A Feast for Crows’ begins, George R. R. Martin tries to quantify the magnitude of the abyss by using quotes that emanate from the characters’ view of life.

Reality

But these were stories. In the real-world pig boys never fared so well.

The quote above is a statement made by Pate. As a novice of the Citadel, Pate soon realized that he would never be a maester. As he interacted with his companions daily, he started coming to terms with the fact that nothing was exciting about his life and that he would never become a maester.

Though Pate tried hard to forget about reality by daydreaming of a world where he was relevant, he eventually gave in to the overwhelming nature of reality. In one last attempt to make his life worthwhile, he decided to steal an iron-like object in exchange for gold. However, he ended up dying, his dreams along with him.

That was the way of this cold world, where men fished the sea and dug in the ground and died, whilst women brought forth short-lived children from beds of blood and pain.

When Aeron gets word of his brother’s death, he reminisces on the past and how brutal it has been. Having lost five brothers, he says that reality is harsh and unforgiving. He explains that sadness and death control the world, and men and women fulfill their duty while suffering in pain.

We are born to suffer, that our suffering might make us strong.

A reoccurring theme in ‘A Feast for Crows’ is suffering. Though the War of the Five Kings draws to an end, the suffering from the destruction left behind by the war continues. With pain and sadness overshadowing the land, this statement gets made. It explains that reality is painful and filled with suffering, but even though it can become unbearable, one must fight to scale through because surviving makes one a better version of themselves.

You have two good eyes and yet you do not see. She is a mother grieving for her child.

The quote above is a statement made by maester Aemon. When Sam and Gilly took a ship to the Citadel, he noticed that she was sad and could not be comforted. Sam tried to find out what was wrong with Gilly, and Aemon later pointed out that Gilly had Mance Rayder’s son instead of hers. He made Sam realize the reality of why Jon sent him, Gilly, and Aemon away.

We princes make our careful plans and the gods smash them all awry.

When Prince Doran met his daughter, he tried explaining why he had foiled her plan. As he talked with her, she told him how she thought he hated her because of the marriage proposals he brought to her. However, Doran explained that he had initially planned for her to marry Viserys, but he had died at the hands of Khal Drogo.

Humility

Wise men may grow arrogant in their wisdom, but a maester must always remain humble.

The quote above is a statement made by Armen the Acolyte. When the novices of the Citadel discuss the rumors of an obsidian candle lighting up, Armen tells them about the last trial everyone goes through before becoming a full-fledged maester. He explains how each novice has to undergo a vigil where they are given an obsidian candle for the night.

Armen explains that the candle is to teach that knowledge is rare and beautiful but can make a person proud. He states that the obsidian candle teaches the novice to understand that even though they may have more knowledge than anyone, they need to remain humble, lest the knowledge they have gathered corrupt them.

Death

What is dead may never die again.

The Ironmen lived their lives surrounded by the ocean. They believed in the freedom of the seas and worshipped the Drowned God. They always performed a rite of maturity, where a young child would get drowned and resuscitated. Their ritual showed that they were no longer enslaved to the sea and would never get killed by it. With each child drowned, the men said the phrase above, showing that the child had come of age.

Dead history is writ in ink, the living sort in blood.

The statement above got made by Rodrick Harlaw, Asha’s uncle. He makes the statement to explain that politics is a game that should sometimes not get played. When Asha travels to the ten towers to gather her men, her uncle tries to advise her on forfeiting the throne. He tells her that the kingsmoot is no place for a woman, and she should spare herself the enmity by not attending. Though she tries to persuade him to come along, he vehemently refuses, stating that such a gathering leads to bloodshed.

Duty

Serve. Obey. Protect. Simple vows for a simple man.

Areo Hotah lived in a world where politics made everything complex. He realized that the actions of those in power had a massive effect on the outcome of events. However, Areo chose to do one thing, remain true to his cause no matter what happens. As the guard of Prince Doran Martell, he decided to obey without any questions. He knew that to make his life easy, he had to act robotic and follow orders.

A true knight is the only shield a maiden need.

When Brienne begins her journey of trying to find Sansa and her sister, she comes across two hedge knights. Though she dressed like a knight, the hedge knights tried to defend Brienne because she was a lady. One of the knights, Ser Creighton, makes the statement above, claiming that it was a knight’s duty to protect a maiden even if that maiden wears a shield and uses a sword.

Consequences

When the lion falls the lesser beats move in: the jackals and the vultures and the feral dogs.

The quote above is one of Cersei Lannister’s thoughts. When she gets the news of her father’s death, she becomes agitated and fearful instantly. Knowing that politics is a brutal and unforgiving game, Cersei starts thinking of how to secure the power void left behind by her father.

Knowing there will be a struggle for the role of the Hand of the King, Cersei begins to get paranoid and even try making Jaime fill in the position. Her statement above describes the political tension present in Westeros. It shows that the kingdom’s political structure was feeble and degraded.

Love

Some lies are love.

The statement above is a statement made by Petyr. When Lysa tried to kill Sansa and got killed by Petyr, her son, young Robert, started looking up to Sansa as his mother. She had to lie to him that she was his mother. Later, she started feeling guilty about the lie she told the young boy. However, Petyr assured Sansa that what she did was right, as a lie can go a long way in helping someone feel loved. Sansa later continues to fill in the role of a mother for young Robert.

Fear

You are seeing dwarfs in every shadow and making foes of friends.

When Cersei heard the news of her father’s death and Tyrion’s escape, she immediately became paranoid and scared of her little brother. Cersei’s paranoia begins to increase and affect her day-to-day thinking. She becomes impaired in reasoning clearly and starts making foes of everyone. Jaime meets her and talks to her about her paranoia. He tells her that she should stop fearing a shadow and look forward to the future as her decisions affect King’s Landing.

All men lie when they are afraid. Some tell many lies, some but a few. Some have only one great lie that they tell so often that they almost come to believe it … though some small part of them will always know that it is still a lie, and that will show upon their faces.

When men fear, they lie; this is the message the quote above passes. It explains that fear makes people conjure up fallacies to save themselves. Throughout the story of ‘A Feast for Crows,’ many characters lied in the face of fear. Sansa lied about Marillion killing Lysa as she knew that not lying would mean the end for her.

Sansa decided to also lie to Robert, knowing she was not his mother. Later, she assumed the identity of Alayne Stone, a false identity she got to divert attention from her. Other characters in the novel also lied their way through many situations. Arya, Prince Doran, and Cersei lied to save themselves or hide their intentions from the rest of the world.

Lies

A man does not need to be a wizard to know truth from falsehood, not if he has eyes. You need to learn to read a face. Look at the eyes. The mouth. The muscles here, at the corners of the jaw, and here, where the neck joins the shoulders.

The quote above is a statement made by the kindly man at the House of Black and White. When Arya entered the temple, he started teaching her the ways of the Faceless Men. Among the lessons he taught her, the kindly man tried teaching Arya how to detect falsehood from someone. He opens her eyes to see how a person tells a lie and how to lie without getting caught.

A false smile and a true one may look alike, but they are as different as dusk from dawn.

The quote above talks about pretense. It explains that though someone may try to hide their emotions behind a fake smile, if one paid enough attention, they could discern the truth and prepare themselves for anything that could happen.

If sinners speak, why should the righteous listen?

The quote above is a question that challenges the concept of morality. The statement got made by Septon Raynard in response to Cersei scolding the high Septon for disturbing the Brothels in the city. The Septon made the statement to belittle the brothels, but Cersei stopped him, telling him the brothels were what supported the entire kingdom.

I seldom feel so close to god as when I am being whipped for mine own wickedness, though my darkest sins are no wise near as black as his.

Septon Raynard made this statement in response to Cersei talking about killing Ser Osney. The Septon explained that though he may be tagged the holiest man in the kingdom, he felt distant from God, except when he got whipped for his sins. He also went further to explain that he felt that his sins were not as dark as Osney’s sins.

Power

A strong ruler requires only a diligent servant to carry out his orders.

The quote above is a statement made by Cersei. When her father died, the Hand of the King title became vacant. With one of the most powerful positions in the seven kingdoms open, Cersei tried to keep off everyone she hated or disliked away from it. Her paranoia made her reject the advice of everyone from Mace Tyrell to Kevan Lannister and Jaime. She decided to put someone who would answer to her and not have a mind of their own.

Trust

Trust is earned. Like gold.

The quote above explains the concept of trust. It describes trust as a commodity. The statement likens trust to gold, a precious substance of great value, and explains that without treating others right and giving the respect they earn, one should not expect to receive trust.

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