The Wit and Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2013 by George R. R. Martin

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Bantam Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.

BANTAM BOOKS and the HOUSE colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.

eBook ISBN: 978-0-345-53914-4

Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-345-53912-0

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

www.bantamdell.com

Interior design by Foltz Design

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Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

On Being a Dwarf

On the Power of Words

On Romance

On Family Values

On the Human Condition

On Music

On Food and Drink

On Kingship

On Realpolitik

The Art of War

The Art of Saving Your Skin

The Art of Lying

On Dragons and Other Myths

On Religion

Other Books by This Author

About the author

On Being a Dwarf

All dwarfs are bastards in their father’s eyes.

—A Game of Thrones

What joy to be a dwarf.

—A Dance with Dragons

I was born. I lived. I am guilty of being a dwarf, I confess it. And no matter how many times my good father forgave me, I have persisted in my infamy.

—A Storm of Swords

Whatever you wear, you’re still a dwarf. You’ll never be as tall as that knight on the steps, him with his long straight legs and hard stomach and wide manly shoulders.

—A Storm of Swords

I have been called many things, but giant is seldom one of them.

—A Game of Thrones

The only thing more pitiful than a dwarf without a nose is a dwarf without a nose who has no gold.

—A Dance with Dragons

Pissing is the least of my talents.

You ought to see me shit.

—A Dance with Dragons

No one fears a dwarf.

—A Dance with Dragons

All dwarfs may be bastards, yet not all bastards need be dwarfs.

—A Game of Thrones

I’m short, not blind.

—A Clash of Kings

Do you think I might stand taller in black?

—A Dance with Dragons

I am malformed, scarred, and small, but … abed, when the candles are blown out, I am made no worse than other men. In the dark, I am the Knight of Flowers.

—A Storm of Swords

Dwarfs are a jape of the gods, but men make eunuchs.

—A Clash of Kings

They say I’m half a man. What does that make the lot of you?

—A Clash of Kings

I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples and bastards and broken things.

—A Game of Thrones

The gods must have been drunk when they got to me.

—A Dance with Dragons

I only need half my wits to be a match for you.

—A Dance with Dragons

I had dreamt enough for one small life. And of such follies: love, justice, friendship, glory. As well dream of being tall.

—A Dance with Dragons

It may be good luck to rub the head of a dwarf, but it is even better luck to suck on a dwarf’s cock.

—A Dance with Dragons

On the Power of Words

My mind is my weapon. My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer, and I have my mind … and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone if it is to keep its edge.

—A Game of Thrones

Duck has his sword, I my quill and parchment.

—A Dance with Dragons

When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.

—A Clash of Kings

Sleep is good. And books are better.

—A Clash of Kings

Let them see that their words can cut you, and you’ll never be free of the mockery. If they want to give you a name, take it, make it your own. Then they can’t hurt you with it anymore.

—A Game of Thrones

Guard your tongue before it digs your grave.

—A Storm of Swords

Words are wind.

—A Dance with Dragons

On Romance

Shy maids are my favorite sort. Aside from wanton ones … but sometimes the ugliest ones are the hungriest once abed.

—A Dance with Dragons

My own father could not love me. Why would you if not for gold?

—A Dance with Dragons

A man grows weary of having no lovers but his fingers.

—A Dance with Dragons

I plant my little seeds just as often as I can.

—A Storm of Swords

With whores, the young ones smell much better, but the old ones know more tricks.

—A Dance with Dragons

I would prefer a whore who is reasonably young, with as pretty a face as you can find. If she has washed sometime this year, I shall be glad. If she hasn’t, wash her.

—A Game of Thrones

Sleep with Lollys? I’d sooner cut it off and feed it to the goats.

—A Storm of Swords

Your Grace, if you take my tongue, you will leave me no way at all to pleasure this sweet wife you gave me.

—A Storm of Swords

A dwarf’s cock has magical powers.

—A Dance with Dragons

On Family Values

A Lannister always pays his debts.

—A Game of Thrones

I never bet against my family.

—A Game of Thrones

Hard hands and no sense of humor makes for a bad marriage.

—A Dance with Dragons

I should say something, but what? Pardon me, Father, but it’s our brother she wants to marry.

—A Storm of Swords

My sister has mistaken me for a mushroom. She keeps me in the dark and feeds me shit.

—A Storm of Swords

Kinslaying is dry work. It gives a man a thirst.

—A Dance with Dragons

Have no fear, I won’t kill you, you are no kin of mine.

—A Dance with Dragons

The man who kills his own blood is cursed forever in the sight of gods and men.

—A Clash of Kings

I learned long ago that it is considered rude to vomit on your brother.

—A Game of Thrones

Kinslaying was not enough, I needed a cunt and wine to seal my ruin.

—A Dance with Dragons

I have never liked you, Cersei, but you were my own sister, so I never did you harm. You’ve ended that. I will hurt you for this. I don’t know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think you are safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you’ll know the debt is paid.

—A Clash of Kings

On the Human Condition

The gods are blind.

And men see only what they wish.

—A Dance with Dragons

Why is it that when one man builds a wall, the next man immediately needs to know what’s on the other side?

—A Game of Thrones

I think life is a jape.

Yours, mine, everyone’s.

—A Dance with Dragons

There has never been a slave who did not choose to be a slave. Their choice may be between bondage and death, but the choice is always there.

—A Dance with Dragons

Death is so terribly final, while life is full of possibilities.

—A Game of Thrones

An honest kiss, a little kindness, everyone deserves that much, however big or small.

—A Dance with Dragons

Every fool loves to hear that he’s important.

—A Dance with Dragons

Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.

—A Game of Thrones

A little honest loathing might be refreshing, like a tart wine after too much sweet.

—A Dance with Dragons

We all need to be mocked from time to time, lest we start to take ourselves too seriously.

—A Game of Thrones

Men are such faithless creatures.

—A Clash of Kings

Age makes ruins of us all.

—A Dance with Dragons

We are all going to die.

—A Dance with Dragons

On Music

Never believe anything you hear in a song.

—A Storm of Swords

I have killed mothers, fathers, nephews, lovers, men and women, kings and whores. A singer once annoyed me, so I had the bastard stewed.

—A Dance with Dragons

If I am ever Hand again, the first thing I’ll do is hang all the singers.

—A Storm of Swords

On Food and Drink

I’ve heard the food in hell is wretched.

—A Dance with Dragons

I am not fond of eating horse.

Particularly my horse.

—A Game of Thrones

Being randy is the next best thing to being drunk.

—A Dance with Dragons

Do I really want to spend the rest of my life eating salt beef and porridge with murderers and thieves?

—A Dance with Dragons

Someone should tell the cooks that turnip isn’t a meat.

—A Game of Thrones

If I drink enough fire wine

perhaps I’ll dream of dragons.

—A Dance with Dragons

On Kingship

All sorts of people are calling themselves kings these days.

—A Clash of Kings

My nephew is not fit to sit a privy, let alone the Iron Throne.

—A Clash of Kings

Crowns do queer things to the heads beneath them.

—A Clash of Kings

Kings are falling like leaves this autumn.

—A Storm of Swords

On Realpolitik

Some allies are more dangerous than enemies.

—A Dance with Dragons

You can buy a man with gold, but only blood and steel will keep him true.

—A Dance with Dragons

Schemes are like fruit, they require a certain ripening.

—A Clash of Kings

It all goes back and back, to our mothers and fathers and theirs before them. We are puppets dancing on the strings of those who came before us, and one day our own children will take up our strings and dance in our steads.

—A Storm of Swords

Rebellion makes for queer bedfellows.

—A Dance with Dragons

When winter comes, the realm will starve.

—A Dance with Dragons

The Art of War

Gold has its uses, but wars are won with iron.

—A Dance with Dragons

I sit a chair better than a horse, and I’d sooner hold a wine goblet than a battle-axe. All that about the thunder of the drums, sunlight flashing on armor, magnificent destriers snorting and prancing? Well, the drums gave me headaches, the sunlight flashing on my armor cooked me up like a harvest day goose, and those magnificent destriers shit everywhere.

—A Clash of Kings

How many Dornishmen does it take to start a war? Only one.

—A Storm of Swords

Knights know only one way to solve a problem. They couch their lances and charge. A dwarf has a different way of looking at the world.

—A Dance with Dragons

He’s going to be as useful as nipples on a breastplate.

—A Dance with Dragons

If a man paints a target on his chest, he should expect that sooner or later someone will loose an arrow at him.

—A Game of Thrones

A sword through the bowels.

A sure cure for constipation.

—A Dance with Dragons

Men fight more fiercely for a king who shares their peril than one who hides behind his mother’s skirts.

—A Clash of Kings

That was the way of war. The smallfolk were slaughtered, while highborn were held for ransom. Remind me to thank the gods that I was born a Lannister.

—A Clash of Kings

The Art of Saving Your Skin

Courage and folly are cousins, or so I’ve heard.

—A Clash of Kings

I’m terrified of my enemies, so I kill them all.

—A Clash of Kings

All this mistrust will sour your stomach and keep you awake at night, ’tis true, but better that than the long sleep that does not end.

—A Dance with Dragons

I decline to deliver any message that might get me killed.

—A Game of Thrones

Riding hard and fast by night is a sure way to tumble down a mountain and crack your skull.

—A Game of Thrones

The Art of Lying

Give me sweet lies, and keep your bitter truths.

—A Storm of Swords

How did I lose my nose? I shoved it up your wife’s cunt and she bit it off.

—A Dance with Dragons

Half-truths are worth more than outright lies.

—A Storm of Swords

My father threw me down a well the day I was born, but I was so ugly that the water witch who lived down there spat me back.

—A Dance with Dragons

The best lies are seasoned with a bit of truth.

—A Dance with Dragons

My mother loved me best of all her children because I was so small. She nursed me at her breast till I was seven. That made my brothers jealous, so they stuffed me in a sack and sold me to a mummer’s troupe. When I tried to run off the master mummer cut off half my nose, so I had no choice but to go with them and learn to be amusing.

—A Dance with Dragons

The sow I ride is actually my sister. We have the same nose, could you tell? A wizard cast a spell on her, but if you give her a big wet kiss, she’ll turn into a beautiful woman. The pity is, once you get to know her, you’ll want to kiss her again to turn her back.

—A Dance with Dragons

Every touch a lie. I have paid her so much false coin that she half thinks she’s rich.

—A Dance with Dragons

You’d be astonished at what a boy can make of a few lies, fifty pieces of silver, and a drunken septon.

—A Game of Thrones

On Dragons and Other Myths

I believe in steel swords, gold coins, and men’s wits. And I believe there once were dragons.

—A Clash of Kings

What if we should find that this talk of dragons was just some sailor’s drunken fancy? This wide world is full of such mad tales. Grumkins and snarks, ghosts and ghouls, mermaids, rock goblins, winged horses, winged pigs, winged lions.

—A Dance with Dragons

Next you will be offering me a suit of magic armor and a palace in Valyria.

—A Dance with Dragons

Even a stunted, twisted, ugly little boy can look down over the world when he’s seated on a dragon’s back.

—A Game of Thrones

Once a man has seen a dragon in flight, let him stay home and tend his garden in content, for this wide world has no greater wonder.

—A Dance with Dragons

If you want to conquer the world, you best have dragons.

—A Dance with Dragons

The Shrouded Lord is just a legend, no more real than the ghost of Lann the Clever that some claim haunts Casterley Rock.

—A Dance with Dragons

Trust no one. And keep your dragon close.

—A Dance with Dragons

On Religion

What sort of gods make rats and plagues and dwarfs?

—A Dance with Dragons

When I was a boy, my wet nurse told me that one day, if men were good, the gods would give the world a summer without ending.

—A Game of Thrones

Light our fire and protect us from the dark, blah blah, light our way and keep us toasty warm, the night is dark and full of terrors, save us from the scary things, and blah blah blah some more.

—A Dance with Dragons

Somewhere some god is laughing.

—A Dance with Dragons

If there are gods to listen, they are monstrous gods, who torment us for their sport. Who else would make a world like this, so full of bondage, blood, and pain?

—A Dance with Dragons

The gods give with one hand and take with the other.

—A Clash of Kings

If I could pray with my cock, I would be much more religious.

—A Clash of Kings

BY GEORGE R. R. MARTIN

A Song of Ice and Fire

Book One: A Game of Thrones

Book Two: A Clash of Kings

Book Three: A Storm of Swords

Book Four: A Feast for Crows

Book Five: A Dance with Dragons

Dying of the Light

Windhaven (with Lisa Tuttle)

Fevre Dream

The Armageddon Rag

Dead Man’s Hand (with John J. Miller)

Short Story Collections

Dreamsongs: Volume I

Dreamsongs: Volume II

A Song for Lya and Other Stories

Songs of Stars and Shadows

Sandkings

Songs the Dead Men Sing

Nightflyers

Tuf Voyaging

Portraits of His Children

Quartet

Edited by George R. R. Martin

New Voices in Science Fiction, Volumes 1–4

The Science Fiction Weight Loss Book (with Isaac Asimov and Martin Harry Greenberg)

The John W. Campbell Awards, Volume 5

Night Visions 3

Wild Cards I–XXI

Old Mars (with Gardner Dozois)

About the author

GEORGE R. R. MARTIN is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire—A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

www.georgerrmartin.com

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

On Being a Dwarf

On the Power of Words

On Romance

On Family Values

On the Human Condition

On Music

On Food and Drink

On Kingship

On Realpolitik

The Art of War

The Art of Saving Your Skin

The Art of Lying

On Dragons and Other Myths

On Religion

Other Books by This Author

About the author