Eldest Quotes

“They were quiet for a while, eating, then Oromis asked, "Can you tell me, What is the most important mental tool a person can possess?"
It was a serious question, and Eragon considered it for a reasonable span before he ventured to say, "Determination."
Oromis tore the loaf in half with his long white fingers. "I can understand why you arrived at that conclusion-determination has served you well in your adventures-but no. I meant the tool most necessary to choose the best course of action in any given situation. Determination is as common among men who are dull and foolish as it is among those who are brilliant intellects. So, no, determination cannot be what we're looking for.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“Always it is thus with my new students, and especially with the human ones; the mind is the last muscle they train or use, and the one that they regard the least. Ask them about swordplay and they can list every blow from a duel a month old, but ask them to solve a problem or make a coherent statement and... well, I would be lucky to get more than a blank stare in return.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“There is a proper way to greet the sentinels in Ceris, certain patterns and forms that you must observe when presented to Queen Islanzadí, and a hundred different manners in which to greet those around you, if it’s not better to just remain quiet.”
“With all your customs,” Eragon risked saying, “it seems as though you’ve only made it easier to offend people.”
A smile flickered across her lips. “Perhaps.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“It’s better to be sworn to an honest fool than to a lying scholar”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“Even the donkeys were quiet.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“The poison dart hidden in the raisin tart. ...”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“I agree that it's important to be of a virtuous nature, but I would also contend that if you had to choose between giving a man a noble disposition or teaching him to think clearly, you'd do better to teach him to think clearly. Too many problems in this world are caused by men with noble dispositions and clouded minds.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“Left weaponless, Roran was forced to retreat before the remaining soldier. He stumbled over a corpse, cutting his calf on a sword as he fell, and rolled to avoid a two-handed blow from the soldier, scrabbling frantically in the ankle-deep mud for something, anything he could use as a weapon. A hilt brushed his fingers, and he ripped it from the muck and slashed at the soldier's sword hand, severing his thumb.

The man stared dumbly at the glistening stump, then said, "This is what comes from not shielding myself."

"Aye," agreed Roran, and beheaded him.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“(...)best of luck, avoid roasted cabbage, don't eat earwax, and look on the bright side of life!”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“Don't defoul the air. It ill becomes you. - Oromis”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“A pox on all meads!”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“Things that change and are lost, that is what's worth preserving.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“I cannot prove that gods do not exist. Nor can I prove that the world and everything in it was not created by an entity or entities in the distant past. But I can tell you that in the millennia we elves have studied nature, we have never witnessed an instance where the rules that govern the world have been broken. That is, we have never seen a miracle. Many events have defied our ability to explain, but we are convinced that we failed because we are still woefully ignorant about the universe and not because a deity altered the workings of nature.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“Understanding begets empathy and compassion even for the meanest beggar - Oromis”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“He who stands like a pilar dies in battle. He who bends like a reed is triumphant!”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“If I have become my father, then I shall have my father's blade. Thorn is my dragon, and a thorn he shall be to all enemies. It is only right, then, that I should wield the sword, misery. Misery and Thorn, a fit match. Besides, Zar'roc should have gone to Morzan's eldest son, not his youngest. It is mine by right of birth."
A cold pit formed in Eragon's stomach. It can't be.
A cruel smile appeared on Murtagh's face. "I never told you my mother's name, did I? And you never told my yours. I'll say it now: Selena.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“A person may dislike his choice, but he will stand by it because, even in the worst circumstances, he believes that it was the best option available to him at the time.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“The way the Rider flourished his sword afterward- spinning it in a quick circle by his side- suddenly seemed familiar to Eragon, as did all his preceding swordsmanship. He stared with growing horror at his enemy's hand-and-a-half sword, then back up at the eye slits of his mirrored helm, and shouted, "I know you!
He threw himself at the Rider, trapping both swords between their bodies, hooked his fingers underneath the helm, and ripped it off. And there in the center of the plateau, on the edge of the Burning Plains of Allagaesia, stood Murtagh.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“I agree that is it important to be of a virtuous nature, but I would also contend that if you had to choose between giving a man a noble disposition or teaching him to think clearly, you'd do better to teach him to think clearly. Too many problems in this world are cause by men with noble dispositions and clouded minds.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“fate has a cruel sense of humor”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“Vive el presente, recuerda el pasado y no temas el futuro, porque no existe, ni existirá jamás. Sólo existe el ahora.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“Power without moral direction is the most dangerous force in the world.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“But you possess one quality that no one else does.

Oh?

Your identity. Your history, deeds and situation. Use those to shape your creation and you will produce something unique. Whatever you make, base it upon that which is most important to you. Only then will it have depth and meaning, and only then will it resonate with others.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“Understanding breeds empathy.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“Eragon blinked. Is it me, or is everyone on the edge today? Like Arya-one moment she's angry, the next she's giving me a blessing!
No one will be comfortable until things return to normal.
Define normal.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“You must remain optimistic, for a negative outlook is more of a handicap than any physical injury.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“On the contrary,” said Oromis, “it is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our own actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment. I won’t tell you what to believe, Eragon. It is far better to be taught to think critically and then be allowed to make your own decisions than to have someone else’s notions thrust upon you. You asked after our religion, and I have answered you true. Make of it what you will.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“He'd lost all fear of Death's embrace,
The last embrace a man will know.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“Yes it is" Eragon said before his courage left him "just like you”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest

“The only certainty is that, eventually, all things shall pass.”
― Christopher Paolini, Eldest