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Portrait of Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan

(1948–2007) Novelist Germany

553 quotes in 1026 categories

Robert Jordan talks about focusing all your fire on one bright flame, letting fear and anger melt away. He also says to take life as it comes—run, fight, or rest when needed. His words weave a sense that destiny follows a wheel, and that what isn’t forbidden may be allowed.

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Robert Jordan was a novelist from Germany, best known for The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time Book 1).

Quick Facts About Robert Jordan

Born: October 17, 1948
Died: September 16, 2007
Nationality: Germany
Profession: Novelist
Notable works: The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time Book 1)

About Robert Jordan

He wrote The Wheel of Time series, which includes 14 books and a prequel, selling about 90 million copies. Earlier he wrote original Conan the Barbarian novels that fans consider among the best by other authors. He used several pen names for different genres.

Awards & Honors

Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Quotes by Robert Jordan

“Sene sovya caba'donde ain dovienya”

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The wheel weaves as the wheel wills

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Hardness shatters; strength endures.

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There are things worth fighting for.

Call of duty

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Take what you want, and pay for it.

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Should and would build no bridges.

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If wishes were wings, pigs would fly.

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Dovie'andi se tovya sagain!

Yang

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Most of those we call heroes only did what they had to do.

Hero

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Caution once forgotten could be forgotten once too often.

Caution

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It's too late to change your mind after you've jumped off the cliff.

Changing your mind

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“If you plan for the worst, all surprises are pleasant.”

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You read too much and understand too little.

Books

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Kneel and swear to the Lord Dragon, or you will be knelt.

Dragons

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Waiting turns men into bears in a barn, and women into cats in a sack.

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Two hands. One to destroy, the other to save. Which had he lost?

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If you fell head first into a pigsty, you'd try to convince everybody you did it on purpose.

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“Letting emotions go clouds judgment for a moment, but holding them in clouds it always.”

Emotions

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Cheer the bull, or cheer the bear; cheer both, and you will be trampled and eaten.

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“Why was it women could go to pieces or fly into a rage at the smallest thing, yet never flicker an eyelash…

Rage

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“I always say, if you must mount the gallows, give a jest to the crowd, a coin to the hangman, and make…

Courage

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No. Please do not name either child after me, Elayne. Let them live their own lives. My shadow will be long enough…

Child

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“Relax, lad. Take life as it comes. Run when you have to, fight when you must, rest when you can.”

Life

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“Men!" Min muttered at the door. "Too blind to see what a stone could see, and too stubborn to be trusted to…

Blind

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“And for some reason, men and women who told the tale often found a need to add almost identical words. The storm…

Men and women

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“Knock a man down, and you saw what he was made of. That man might run. If he didn’t—if he stood back…

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“Well perhaps you humans do have short lives but you do so much with them. Always jumping around, always so hasty and…

Life

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“Good morrow, High Lord Weiramon, and all you other High Lords and Ladies. I'm a gambler, a farmboy, and I'm here to…

Lords and ladies

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“A horse leaves footprints, even on this ground. If we find them, we'll know for a fact he was there. If not...well,…

Footprints

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“he crawled on across the farmyard, keeping as low as he could, but trying to watch every direction, too. He had never…

Mind

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“Till Shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit…

Last breath

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“Execution is everything. Even if you start a business with the wrong idea or too many competitors, you can out-execute all the…

Business

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Browns seek knowledge, Blues meddle in causes, and Whites consider the questions of truth with implacable logic. We all do some of…

Army

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“Almost everyone stopped when he did, but Enaila and Jalani exchanged glances and kept on right past him toward the garden. He…

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“And it came to pass in those days, as it had come before and would come again, that the Dark lay heavy…

Hope

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“I am only trying to make up for..." she began timidly, and jumped when the other woman roared. "MAKE UP? You are…

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We should ask our commanders..." Elayne trailed off. "If there are any we trust not to be under Compulsion." "There's only one,"…

Commanders

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“The palace still shook occasionally as the earth rumbled in memory, groaned as if it would deny what had happened. Bars of…

Men and women

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Demandred blocked Lan's attack but he breathed hoarsely. "Who are you?" Demandred whispered again. "No one of this Age has such skill.…

Age

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“And so we begin the game that cannot be won,” Thom said, sliding the knife back into its sheath. “Courage to strengthen,”…

Courage

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Robert Jordan by topic

Men (74) Wheel of time (45) Time (34) Wot (26) Thinking (18) War (17) Death (17) World (16) Life (16) Inspirational (15) Fool (15) Rand-al-thor (14)