Last updated on 21 July 2024 at 07:25 pm
Whether in temper, tartness, or temerity, Robert Jordan’s characters stay faithful to themselves, coming alive on the page through great lines of dialogue. You must complete the series to fully appreciate the writing craft on display, but this post does its utmost to pay homage to the best quotes from A Crown of Swords.
I’ll recite the dialogue, thoughts, and prose that make Book 7 an exceptional experience, so I should arm you with a spoiler warning. I will tell you who said what and when and add a cursory brief for each quote, aiming to add context without ruining the story. That means you’ll only find light spoilers for A Crown of Swords as you continue to read.
Best Quotes from A Crown of Swords
Robert Jordan draws reference to animals a lot in his work. Figurative or literal, the use ranges from fantastical creatures like Draghkar and Darkhounds to real ones like cats and lions. A Crown of Swords spoils equine lovers everywhere with horse racing in Ebou Dar, and avian enthusiasts might enjoy that city’s Festival of Birds.
Some of our cast of characters keep pets or have an affinity to a particular kind. If you share Seaine Herimon’s affection for cats (let’s not mention Marillin Gemalphin), you’ll find a few mentions of our furry friends here and in the books. There is the “Cat Dances on the Wall” sword form, the deliberate movement of “Cat Crosses the Courtyard,” and the deft footwork of “Cat on Hot Sand”. You can also enjoy a dice game called “Cat’s Paw” or play at “Cat’s Cradle” with Maidens of the Spear. So, don’t be surprised that I’ve included some quotes referencing animals in my selections.
Beyond that, it’s a mixed bag of gender quotes, prophecy, and observation, so please enjoy these fantastic quotes from A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan:
Animal Quotes from A Crown of Swords
Lews Therin is troubled inside Rand al’Thor’s head as an Aes Sedai serves tea. “Only a fool thinks a lion or a woman can truly be tamed,” he thinks.
In his rooms within the Tarasin Palace, Mat is rueful at his decision-making. He remembers a phrase women often say in the Two Rivers. “Men teach cats curiosity, but cats keep sense for themselves.” When the Queen of Altara tells him he is not a cat but “a succulent little duckling,” Mat earnestly makes his apologies to leave.
Cussing is one of Matrim Cauthon’s fouler habits, but it is amusing, and he has more than a good reason to be flabbergasted in this scene. He struggles to find his words at the notion of Nynaeve and Elayne discussing his personal problems. “Oh, kiss a flaming goat if I know what I mean,” he exclaims.
Nynaeve would beat me with a stick if I accused her of typifying a “do as I say, not as I do” attitude, but this moment gives me some evidence. “No need to shriek like a cat,” she scalds Elayne before shrieking like a cat herself.
Another moment I love comes in Chapter 22, Small Sacrifices. The women are trying to do right by Mat Cauthon but don’t relish the task. Robert Jordan makes us chuckle with the line: “‘I won’t shout at you,’ Nynaeve shouted.”
Gender Quotes in A Crown of Swords
Mat has guessed wrong about the actions of Nynaeve and the other women. “A woman would do a thing until you were sure she always would,” he thinks, “then do something else just to fuddle you.”
It’s Mat again with his unloosed brand of wisdom on women. “Usually when a woman was in the wrong,” he thinks, “she could find so many things to blame on the nearest man that he wound up thinking maybe he really was at fault.”
Prophecy in A Crown of Swords
The Prophecies of the Dragon don’t have much to say about the future of the Aiel, and other prophecies don’t inspire any hope. Rand doesn’t have the answers, and he suffers for it, ruminating after being questioned about the Three-fold Land. “The trumpets of war shall sound at his footsteps, the ravens feed at his voice, and he shall wear a crown of swords.”
The preface draws from a disputed translation of The Prophecies of the Dragon. It is by a poet called Kyera Termendal of Shiota, a nation formed after the Trolloc Wars on land that is now part of Altara, and reads:
“There can be no health in us, nor any good thing grow, for the land is one with the Dragon Reborn and he one with the land. Soul of fire, heart of stone, in pride he conquers, forcing the proud to yield. He calls upon the mountains to kneel, and the seas to give way, and the very skies to bow. Pray that the heart of stone remembers tears, and the soul of fire, love.”
More Fantastic Quotes from A Crown of Swords
Egwene is speaking with the Aiel Wise Ones in the World of Dreams. She knows enough of their culture to understand that “in a cruel land, you either learned to laugh at cruelty or spent your life weeping.”
In the aftermath of Dumai’s Wells, Rand asks Min to share her viewings with him. She has a sense of something important that she can’t figure out. “If you don’t know everything,” Rand quotes, “you must go on with what you do know.”
The narrator tells us how events have been carried across the world in news and rumor, corrupted by the telling. It is a device Robert Jordan uses to good effect in his books. He tells us, “and for some reason, men and women who told the tale often found a need to add almost identical words. The storm is coming, they said, staring southward in worry. The storm is coming.”
In the comments, let me know your favorite quotes from A Crown of Swords, and I’ll get the best suggestions added here. We can use many lines to fill this post, so don’t be shy!
Where Does the Wind Rise in A Crown of Swords?
When you start a new book in The Wheel of Time series, you may find yourself jumping past the prologue to check the iconic opening paragraph is still a thing for Chapter 1. Don’t worry! There are no other beginnings in that respect, so you’ll always find it there.
In A Crown of Swords, the wind rises in the great forest called Braem Wood. Braem Wood was also the wind source in The Fires of Heaven if that sounds familiar. The location is used to stage an ambush later in the series and is found fifty leagues north of Caemlyn.
Enjoy More Quotes from The Wheel of Time
My collection of celebratory quotes is complete, and this edition joins similar posts for the entire series, including the prequel. Tapping the image links below takes you to more fun quotes and punditry:
Listen to A Crown of Swords
To fully immerse in The Wheel of Time, you must listen to the audiobooks that Kate Reading and Michael Kramer narrated. What’s not to love about hearing these fantastic quotes spoken aloud by seasoned narrators and voice performers?
A Crown of Swords is full of humor, and you’ll recognize the wit with clarity by opting for an audio experience. I have a whole other post to salivate your interest in the A Crown of Swords audiobook, and the image link below will take you to it:
You can, of course, go straight to Amazon and listen to a sample from A Crown of Swords. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Until next time, may the Light shine on you, my friends!
Russell