The nature of conspiracy, which among those who both feared and named it, seemed to always possess at its core a misguided belief in the competence of others, as weighed against the in capacities, real or imagined, of the believer. Therefore, he concluded, the belief in conspiracy was an announcement of the believer's own sense of utter helplessness in the face of forces both mysterious and fatally efficient.

— Steven Erikson

The prince is blind to subtlety. He knows his own ignorance and stupidity so is ever suspicious of others, especially when they say things he does not understand. One cannot negotiate when dragged in the wake of emotions.

— Steven Erikson

There are times, Krupp murmurs, when celibacy born of sad deprivation becomes a boon, nay, a source of great relief.

— Steven Erikson

There is plenty of dignity in just holding on

— Steven Erikson

There's little value in seeking to find reasons for why people do what they do, or feel the way they feel. Hatred is a most pernicious thing, finding root in any kind of soil. It feeds on itself." "With words.

— Steven Erikson

The siren song/called silence

— Steven Erikson

The soul knows no greater anguish than to take a breath that begins with love and ends with grief.

— Steven Erikson

The stars, they are as the sun. Each star. Every star. And those spheres-they are worlds, realms, each one different yet the same.

— Steven Erikson

The trust I have...for some people...comes down to how well I know them, and then it's a matter of my trusting them to do what I think they're going to do.

— Steven Erikson

The Wiccans know that the gift of power is never free. They know enough not to envy the chosen among them, for power is never a game, nor are glittering standards raised to glory and wealth. They disguise nothing in trappings, and so we all see what we'd rather not, that power is cruel, hard as iron and bone, and thrives on destruction. ~ Dead house Gates

— Steven Erikson