Quotes from book
The Name of the Wind

Name: The Name of the Wind
Author: Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind, also called The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One, is a heroic fantasy novel written by American author Patrick Rothfuss. It is the first book in the ongoing fantasy trilogy The Kingkiller Chronicle, followed by The Wise Man's Fear. It was published on March 27, 2007 by DAW Books.

“Owls are wise. They are careful and patient. Wisdom precludes boldness. That is why owls make poor heroes.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind

“Too much honesty makes you sound insincere.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Variant: Too much truth confuses the facts. Too much honesty makes you sound insincere
Source: The Name of the Wind (2007), Chapter 26, “Lanre Turned” (p. 203)
Context: “All stories are true,” Skarpi said. “But this one really happened, if that’s what you mean.” He took another slow drink, then smiled again, his bright eyes dancing. “More or less. You have to be a bit of a liar to tell a story the right way. Too much truth confuses the facts. Too much honesty makes you sound insincere.”

“Only priests and fools are fearless and I've never been on the best of terms with God.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind

“We understand how dangerous a mask can be. We all become what we pretend to be.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Variant: We all become what we pretend to be.
Source: The Name of the Wind

“There are times when the mind is dealt such a blow it hides itself in insanity. While this may not seem beneficial, it is. There are times when reality is nothing but pain, and to escape that pain the mind must leave reality behind.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind

“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts. There are seven words that will make a person love you. There are ten words that will break a strong man’s will. But a word is nothing but a painting of a fire. A name is the fire itself.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind (2007), Chapter 86, “The Fire Itself” (pp. 672-673)

“I also felt guilty about the three pens I'd stolen, but only for a second. And since there was no convenient way to give them back, I stole a bottle of ink before I left.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind

“Plainly said, he was giving me enough rope to hang myself with. Apparently he didn’t realize that once a noose is tied, it will fit one neck as easily as another.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind (2007), Chapter 39, “Enough Rope” (p. 281)

“It’s hard to be wrongfully accused, but it’s worse when the people looking down on you are clods who have never read a book or traveled more than twenty miles from the place they were born.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Variant: It’s hard to be wrongfully accused, but it’s worse when the people looking down on you are clods who have never read a book or traveled more than twenty miles from the place they were born.
Source: The Name of the Wind (2007), Chapter 8, “Thieves, Heretics, and Whores” (p. 63)

“Roses! I swear you men have all your romance from the same worn book. Flowers are a good thing, a sweet thing to give a lady. But it is always roses, always red, and always perfect hothouse blooms when they can come by them.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind

“I needed to let them know they couldn't hurt me. I've learned that the best way to stay safe is to make your enemies think you can't be hurt.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind

“Beer dulls a memory, brand sets it burning, but wine is the best for a sore heart's yearning.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind

“It gets tiresome being spoken to as if you are a child, even if you happen to be one.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind

“You have to be a bit of a liar to tell a story the right way.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind

“Do not mistake me for my mask. You see light dappling on the water and forget the deep, cold dark beneath.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind

“Why? Because pride is a strange thing, and because generosity deserves generosity in return. But mostly because it felt like the right thing to do, and that is reason enough.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind

“It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind

“By your logic I should also be in charge of Solinade dances, needlework, and horse thieving.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind

“All stories are true,” Skarpi said. “But this one really happened, if that’s what you mean.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

He took another slow drink, then smiled again, his bright eyes dancing. “More or less. You have to be a bit of a liar to tell a story the right way. Too much truth confuses the facts. Too much honesty makes you sound insincere.”
Source: The Name of the Wind (2007), Chapter 26, “Lanre Turned” (p. 203)

“A tinker’s debt is always paid:
Once for any simple trade.
Twice for freely given aid.
Thrice for any insult made.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Name of the Wind

Source: The Name of the Wind (2007), Chapter 1, “A Place for Demons” (p. 5)