10 Best Quotes The Wheel of Time

There are many things to enjoy about the Amazon series The Wheel of Time, which manages to combine the careful attention to character detail with a grand cosmic conflict between good and evil.

Given its strong emphasis on the internal dynamics among and between characters, it also makes sense that many of the people that inhabit this world have some outstanding quotes to their names. There are certainly moments when they say things that have many shades of meaning and that will come to have significant consequences for the future as the Dark One’s influence on the world continues to grow (there’s a reason that this being is a very powerful villain on a Wheel Of Time).

10 Moiraine To Lan:

“This Wasn’t The Last Battle. I Fear It Was The First.”

The finale of the series tied up a number of important threads, and it showed just how much is at stake for Moiraine, Rand, and the others as they fight back against the Dark One.

With this quote, however, Moiraine makes it clear that she has reached the terrifying conclusion that everything they’ve just gone through might not be an end but, instead, the beginning of a war far greater in scope than anyone had even dared to imagine. While it’s probably intended to create fear among the other characters, for many fans, it has made them look forward to the next season.

9 Rand To The Man:

“What About What She Wants? And As Much As I Love Her, As Much As I Want This, I Know That She Doesn’t.”

Every hero has to pass a certain test as they set out on their hero’s journey, and Rand is no exception. In this case, he’s tempted by a person who seems to be the Dark One, who promises him that he can have Egwene if he just uses the Power.

However, given that this is Rand, he rejects the idea and refuses to force his will on someone else, particularly someone that he loves as much as he does Egwene. It’s a powerful moment and one that shows that Rand is definitely an ethical and responsible person.

8 Min To Rand:

“I Definitely Don’t Care How You Feel. You’re Just Another Guy In Another Bar That Wants Something From Me.”

Even though she only appears in a very few episodes, Min shows that she is the type of character that understands the way that the world works. She has a sort of world-weary cynicism that this line makes abundantly clear, and she also shows that she doesn’t suffer fools lightly.

At the same time, there’s an undeniable warmth in her words, a slight suggestion that, contrary to what she says, there’s something meaningful between her and Rand.

7 Rand To Himself:

“It’s Me.”

The question of who the Dragon Reborn was going to be was one of the most important questions in the entire first season of the show, and it was ultimately revealed that Rand, the shepherd, was the one chosen to fight the Dark One.

What makes this quotation so tremendously powerful is its bracing simplicity. It’s an acknowledgment on Rand’s part that he is willing to shoulder the burden of being the Dragon Reborn, even though he knows that it could very well lead to his death. He thus is very much this series’ Frodo, the hero of The Lord of the Rings.

6 Moiraine About The Aes Sedai:

“We Will Always Tell The Truth, It Just May Not Be The Truth You Think You’ll Hear, So Listen Carefully.”

Moiraine is one of Rosamund Pike’s best roles, and though she strongly believes in the purpose of the Aes Sedai, she isn’t oblivious to their flaws as an organization, as she makes clear in this quote.

Here, she notes that her fellow sisters are quite capable of manipulating the truth so that they can say what they want without violating the Three Oaths that they swear on the powerful Oath Rod. It’s a valuable lesson and one that will become ever more vital for the people that she takes under her wing.

5 Nynaeve To Egwene:

“To Be A Woman Is To Be Always Alone And Never Alone.”

The bond between Egwene and Nynaeve is one of the most important in the entire first season, and it’s clear that these two women genuinely love one another and care about what happens. Nynaeve, in particular, looks at Egwene as a daughter of sorts, as this quote makes abundantly clear.

Here, she allows Egwene to understand that, as a woman, she is not just an individual but part of a group of others, a heartening message in a moment of terror.

4 Thom To Rand:

“Nothing Is More Dangerous Than A Man Who Knows The Past.”

Thom Merrillin is a relatively minor character in the first season of the show, but he is, nevertheless, a Wheel Of Time fan favorite and has some great quotes, including this one.

Given that The Wheel of Time is a series all about the nature of history–about the way that it repeats itself, catching people up, grinding them up in the relentless cyclical nature of time–this quote takes on an added resonance. It’s especially important for Rand, as his identity as the Dragon Reborn will depend on his knowing some elements of his past.

3 Ila To Valda:

“You Can Cover The Light With The Palm Of A Child’s Hand, But A Leaf, Even If You Crush It, Bury It, Burn It, It Becomes A Part Of The Earth And The Air.”

Ila is another important side character, and her profession of the Way of the Leaf is clearly deeply heartfelt, motivated by a profound belief in pacifism and peace as the way to keep the world from falling apart.

Here, she articulates it in the form of a biological metaphor, suggesting that, if a person simply gives into the idea that they are no different than a leaf, that it can ease the stress and strain of living a world growing increasingly dangerous.

2 Moiraine To Mat:

“The Wheel Weaves As The Wheel Wills.”

There are few phrases that are as memorable and full of ethos as this quote from Moiraine. It contains so many depths, but most importantly, it suggests a certain form of acceptance.

All anyone who lives in this world can do is understand that there is no escaping from the Wheel of Time that all people–their dreams, their ambitions, their actions–are but expressions of a vast, impersonal force that no one can really understand or comprehend in its entirety.

1 Siuan Sanche To Egwene And Nynaeve:

“The Last Battle Is Coming. What Any Of Us Wants Now Is Meaningless. The Only Thing That Matters Is What You Do.”

Siuan Sanche is one of the most powerful and forbidding of all of the Aes Sedai that appear, which makes sense, given that she is the Amyrlin Seat.

This quote is very much in keeping with her personality, for she shows that she is a very forceful individual, someone very willing to put her own desires and ambitions aside in the pursuit of a larger goal (in this case, making sure that everyone, including herself, does what is necessary in the Last Battle).

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