"He drew the dagger and laid it on the table between them; a length of dragonbone and Valyrian steel, as sharp as the difference between right and wrong, between true and false, between life and death."
"The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. If you would take a man's life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. And if you cannot bear to do that, then perhaps the man does not deserve to die."
"Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it."
"Laughter is poison to fear."
"... a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge."
"A bruise is a lesson... and each lesson makes us better."