Cradle by Will Wight
Book 1 : Unsouled
“Only storms turn fish into dragons" -Will Wight, Unsouled
“When a traveler cannot find a path, sometimes he must make his own.”
“There are a million Paths in this world, Lindon, but any sage will tell you they can all be reduced to one. Improve yourself.” ― Will Wight, Unsouled
Book 2 : SouldSmith
“That’s the nature of any acquired skill. It will feel like breathing through a wet rag for a while, and your body will tell you to stop. But one day, you’ll look back and wonder how it was ever difficult.”
“These two weeks had been the worst in Lindon’s life, but half a month of agony was nothing compared to a lifetime of helplessness.”
“Fine then. I spit on the honor of the Sandvipers, that pathetic collection of cowards and cripples. You don't have a spine between you, you only use poison because it takes courage to face an enemy in battle, and I could improve on a Sandviper warrior by stapling a snake to a scarecrow's arm. Also your mothers were dogs and your fathers were blind, and so on. Fight me.” ― Will Wight, Soulsmith
“Sacred artists. Without risk, without battle, without a willingness to fight, you will stay weak. And weakness means death.”
Book 3: BlackFlame
The dragon advances. The dragon destroys. The dragon conquers.
“Don’t worry, I don’t train my students like that anymore,” Eithan said, holding up a bottle to the light. “I was far too lenient before. After weeks of my training, that girl should have been fighting those bears. With her fists.” ― Will Wight, Blackflame
“That was the real lesson: if you were powerful enough, you could accomplish anything.”
“The only difference,” Eithan said, “is that you trusted him. Trust comes with time. And during that time, you will clear that course with your Goldsign or I’ll tie you to a string and drag you behind the house like a kite.” ― Will Wight, Blackflame
Book 4 : Skysworn
“I don’t have any love for the Jai clan, but as for you, if I saw you on fire I’d hold an umbrella for you so the rain didn’t put you out.”
“Eithan looked from his enemy’s weapon to his own. “Longhook, is it? You can call me Tiny Scissors.” ― Will Wight, Skysworn
“If I have to choose between disappointing you or my disciple…well, I’m sorry, but I don’t like you very much.” ― Will Wight, Skysworn
“They call you the twenty-fourth ranked Lowgold on the combat charts,” she said. “You know what that means?” “That there are twenty-three Lowgolds stronger than I am,” he said immediately. “That you're ranked higher than three quarters of the Empire!” ― Will Wight, Skysworn
“A dragon does not allow fear to make his decisions for him,” Orthos rumbled. “A dragon decides for himself.” ― Will Wight, Skysworn
Book 5 : Ghost water
“Wow,” Dross said in his head. “Roomy in here. Were you born with two extra-large cores? I'm sorry, that sounds rude. But do feel free to answer.” ― Will Wight, Ghostwater
“Some believe that hope is the strongest force in the universe,” Dross said. “Although that is objectively untrue.” ― Will Wight, Ghostwater
“And I can see your face so much clearly now! It’s…well, at least you have a wonderful spirit. Yes, indeed. That spirit of yours, wow.”
“Every morning, he would bring her a boulder and have her try to cut it in half with the Rippling Sword. Every morning, she failed, and he took the stone away, only to bring a new one the next day. She’d thrown her training sword aside in disgust. “I can’t do it,” she had said. “Been waiting for you to say that,” he’d responded. He had taken her to a cave behind a waterfall, where he had kept all of the stones she had tried and failed to cut. There were the marks of her failure: slashes in the rocks where her madra had cut. The scars started faint, but they got wider and deeper. And the stones got bigger. “This is what you did yesterday,” he’d said, pointing to the largest rock, the one with the deepest cut. “I can’t wait to see what you do tomorrow.” ― Will Wight, Ghostwater
Book 6 : Underlord
“Yes!” Lindon said. “Until now, advancement has been clear. You make yourself one step stronger every day, keep practicing and cycling aura and strengthening your spirit, and it adds up. Now, all of a sudden, it's different.”
“Humans have to discover what drives their souls to action,” Orthos continued. “It’s the spark that starts their transformation.
“I will make myself clear. If you face Wei Shi Lindon before you reach Underlord, you will surely die.”
Book 7 : Uncrowned
“[It’s interesting how humans decide whether or not to panic by watching others,] Dross noted. [What if all of you are wrong together?]”
“People always think that the way to improve your power is to push for advancement, but that’s not always true. A child and a veteran swordsman, given the same weapon, are vastly different opponents. With enough skill, there’s no reason you couldn’t do what I just did. In your own way, of course.”
Book 8 : Uncrowned
“Failure can be a teacher, and of course one can try one’s best and still fail. There is no such thing as an undefeated warrior.”
“There is no physical punishment that could motivate you.” Malice went on, “but you must feel the sting of failure if you are ever to appreciate success.”
Book 9 : Uncrowned
'Lindon let out a breath of relief, but responded lightly. “Apologies. I’m afraid your hair is done for.” Eithan wilted against the tree. His eyes slowly closed. “Put me out of my misery. Make it quick.”'
“He could have set himself up like a king in some corner of the world. Could have scooped you three up, set fire to Heaven’s Glory, and left. But he stuck around for people who treated him like their least-favorite whipping boy. Don’t know who he was before, but that’s who he is now.”