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We Know Truth For The Cruel Instrument It Is. Beauty Is Infinitely Preferable To Truth.
-George R. R. Martin
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We Know Truth For

George R. R. Martin
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We Know Truth For The Cruel Instrument It Is. Beauty Is Infinitely Preferable To Truth.

Understanding the Quote: "we know truth for the cruel instrument it is. beauty is infinitely..."

This quote by George R. R. Martin reflects deeply on the theme of beauty. It connects to the universal human journey of purpose, motivation, and reflection. Often categorized under Beauty, Truth Is, Instruments, the quote offers insight, emotional clarity, and intellectual inspiration to readers worldwide.

Whether you’re a student exploring new ideas, a leader trying to motivate your team, or someone seeking direction in life — this quote provides value. It resonates because it’s more than words — it’s a bridge between experience and wisdom. It shows how George R. R. Martin interprets life's core challenges and triumphs.

Lessons From the Quote

This quote teaches resilience and focus. It reminds readers that no matter where they stand in life, reflection and self-awareness lead to growth. Each word has meaning, and when studied, it becomes clear how impactful thoughtful language can be.

About George R. R. Martin

George R. R. Martin is celebrated for insightful thoughts on beauty and truth is. Their legacy lives on through writings that guide, comfort, and inspire. Discover more on their profile page.

Actionable Takeaways

  • Reflect on how this quote applies to your current life path.
  • Share the message with someone who needs inspiration.
  • Write your thoughts on this quote in a journal or blog post.
  • Use it as a daily affirmation or reminder.

Closing Thoughts

Quotes like this endure because they capture universal truths. They comfort us in solitude and empower us in groups. Carry this quote forward — live by its wisdom, share its message, and keep its essence alive.

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Topic
Beauty
Truth Is
Instruments
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Love Is
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Summer
Sweet
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Ice
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Sports
Reading
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Arrows
Target
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Men
Hands
Black
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Dream
Wish
I Had Written Three Books [games Of Throne], At That Point, And Each One Of Them Was Better Than The Other. At A Certain Point, As The Books Were Doing Well, I Started Getting Interest From Hollywood, From Various Producers And Studios Who Were Initially Interested In Doing A Feature Film. I Met With Some Of Those People And I Had Phone Conversations With Some Of Those People, But I Didn't See It Being Done As A Feature Film.
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Phones
Games
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Snow
Giving
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Boys
Men
Swift As A Deer. Quiet As A Shadow. Fear Cuts Deeper Than Swords. Quick As A Snake. Calm As Still Water.
Cutting
Snakes
Water
He Was Beastly Tired, But It Was Hard To Stop. One More Book, He Had Told Himself, Then I'll Stop. One More Folio, Just One More. One More Page, Then I'll Go Up And Rest And Get A Bite To Eat. But There Was Always Another Page After That One, And Another After That, And Another Book Waiting Underneath The Pile. I'll Just Take A Quick Peek To See What This One Is About, He'd Think, And Before He Knew He Would Be Halfway Through It.
Book
Tired
Thinking
Lady," She Whimpered Softly, Wondering If She Would Meet Her Wolf Again When She Was Dead.
Wonder
Ifs
You're Mine," She Whispered. "mine, As I'm Yours. And If We Die, We Die. All Men Must Die, Jon Snow. But First, We'll Live.
Men
Snow
Firsts
'rome' Was One Of My Favourite Shows, And I Wish Hbo Had Given It Three More Seasons 'cause I Would Have Loved To Continue Watching It.
Rome
Hbo
Wish
Every Flight Begins With A Fall.
Fall
Healing
Flight
How Do You Fight Someone If You Can't Hit Them?
Fighting
Ifs
Sweet Smells Are Sometimes Used To Cover Foul Ones.
Sweet
Smell
Sometimes
I Was A Journalism Major, And I Would Take Creative Writing Classes As Part Of That, But I Would Also Look For Opportunities To Write Stories For Some Of My Other Classes. So For My Course In Scandinavian History, I Asked If I Could Write Historical Fiction Instead Of Term Papers. Sometimes They’d Say Yes.
Writing
Opportunity
Class
I Heard Of A Man Who Had A Razor Made Of Valyrian Steel. He Cut His Head Off Trying To Shave.
Cutting
Men
Trying
I Am Not Going To Get Into It Myself, Except To Say (1) If I Am Writing "boy Fiction," Who Are All Those Boys With Breasts Who Keep Turning Up By The Hundreds At My Signings And Readings? And (2) Thank You, Geek Girls! I Love You All.
Girl
Love You
Reading
What's Dead May Never Die.
Ice
Daenerys
May
Yes - 90% Of Fantasy Is Crap. And So Is 90% Of Science Fiction And 90% Of Mystery Fiction And 90% Of Literary Fiction.
Fiction
Fantasy
Mystery
Jon Snow: I'm Not Afraid To Die. Mormont: Nor Life, I Hope.
Snow
Jon Snow
Not Afraid
If You Would Wed, Wed. If Not, Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It. There's Little Enough Of It In This World." - Oberyn
World
Littles
Enough
You Kill Men For The Wrongs They Have Done, Not The Wrongs That They May Do Someday.
Men
Done
May
She Should Be On A Hill Somewhere, Under A Fruit Tree, With The Sun And Clouds Above Her And The Rain To Wash Her Clean.
Nature
Rain
Clouds
The Greatest Fools Are Ofttimes More Clever Than The Men Who Laugh At Them.
Clever
Men
Laughing
I Think My Very Earliest Stories Were All Intellectual Exercises And I Was Writing From Experiences I Had Never Had About Characters Who Were About An Inch Deep.
Writing
Character
Exercise
The Vast Majority Of Writers Out There, They Finish Their Books And No One Cares Whether Their Book Is Late Or Ever Comes Out At All. And Then It Comes Out And Two Reviews Are Published And It Sells 12 Copies.
Book
Two
Majority
There Is Magic In My Universe, But It's Pretty Low Magic Compared To Other Fantasies.
Magic
Fantasy
Lows
The Strongest Trees Are Rooted In The Dark Places Of The Earth. Darkness Will Be Your Cloak, Your Shield, Your Mother's Milk. Darkness Will Make You Strong.
Mother
Strong
Dark
Why Do Our Dreams Become So Much Smaller When They Finally Come True?
Dream
Our Dreams
A Reader Lives A Thousand Lives Before He Dies.
Reading
Ice
Fantasy
Men Will Always Underestimate You, He Said, And Their Pride Will Make Them Want To Vanquish You Quickly, Lest It Be Said That A Woman Tried Them Sorely. Let Them Spend Their Strength In Furious Attacks, Whilst You Conserve Your Own. Wait And Watch, Girl, Wait And Watch.
Girl
Pride
Men
Only The Soldier Pines And Sentinels Still Showed Green; The Broadleaf Trees Had Donned Mantles Of Russet And Gold, Or Else Uncloaked Themselves To Scratch Against The Sky With Branches Brown And Bare.
Sky
Tree
Soldier
One Of The Hardest Parts Of Writing Is Writing From The Gut Or The Heart Or Something Like That Rather Than Intellectually.
Writing
Heart
Hardest
That Was The Way Of This Cold World, Where Men Fished The Sea And Dug In The Ground And Died, Whilst Women Brought Forth Short-lived Children From Beds Of Blood And Pain.
Children
Pain
Men
A Lot Of Fantasy Names Are Too Much. They’re Too Difficult To Pronounce. I Wanted The Flavour Of Medieval England. I Took Actual Names We Still Use Today, Like ‘robert’, And In Some Case I Tweaked Them A Little Bit. I Made ‘edward’ Into ‘eddard’. If You Look Back At Medieval Times, No One Knew How To Spell Their Own Names. There Are A Lot Of Variations That We’ve Lost.
Names
Looks
Use
A Great Many Of The Epic Fantasies, From The Lord Of The Rings Onward, Are About War, But To My Mind, A Lot Of It Doesn't Really Deal Honestly With The Consequences Of War, What War Does To Us, As A Society, What War Does To Us, As Individuals, And The Struggle For Power, In The Same Way, And What We're Fighting For.
War
Struggle
Fighting
It Was A Cruel Fate, Yet Not So Cruel As Mago's Will Be. I Promise You That, By The Old Gods And The New, By The Lamb God And The Horse God And Every God That Lives. I Swear By The Mother Of Mountains And The Womb Of The World. Before I Am Done With Them, Mago And Ko Jhaqo Will Plead For The Mercy They Showed Eroeh.
Mother
Horse
Fate
The Pale Pink Light Of Dawn Sparkled On Branch And Leaf And Stone. Every Blade Of Grass Was Carved From Emerald, Every Drip Of Water Turned To Diamond. Flowers And Mushrooms Alike Wore Coats Of Glass. Even The Mud Puddles Had A Bright Brown Sheen. Through The Shimmering Greenery, The Black Tents Of His Brothers Were Encased In A Fine Glaze Of Ice. So There Is Magic Beyond The Wall After All.
Brother
Wall
Flower
I Don't Like The Strictly Objective Viewpoint [in Which All Of The Characters' Actions Are Described In The Third Person, But We Never Hear What Any Of Them Are Thinking.] Which Is Much More Of A Cinematic Technique. Something Written In Third Person Objective Is What The Camera Sees. Because Unless You're Doing A Voiceover, Which Is Tremendously Clumsy, You Can't Hear The Ideas Of Characters. For That, We Depend On Subtle Clues That The Directors Put In And That The Actors Supply. I Can Actually Write, "'yes You Can Trust Me,' He Lied." [but It's Better To Get Inside The Characters' Heads.]
Writing
Character
Thinking
They Say It Grows So Cold Up Here In Winter That A Man’s Laughter Freezes In His Throat And Chokes Him To Death,” Ned Said Evenly. “perhaps That Is Why The Starks Have So Little Humor.
Laughter
Winter
Men
I Try To Make The Readers Feel They've Lived The Events Of The Book. Just As You Grieve If A Friend Is Killed, You Should Grieve If A Fictional Character Is Killed. You Should Care. If Somebody Dies And You Just Go Get More Popcorn, It's A Superficial Experience Isn't It?
Book
Character
Grieving
- Some Men Think Because They Are Afraid To Do. - There Is A Difference Between Fear And Caution.
Men
Thinking
Differences
Love Is Poison. A Sweet Poison, Yes, But It Will Kill You All The Same.
Sweet
Love Is
Poison
Cersei Lannister: I Shall Wear This As A Badge Of Honor. Robert Barathon: Wear It In Silence Or I'll Honor You Again.
Silence
Honor
Badges
She Might Have Wept Then, Had Not The Sky Begun To Do It For Her.
Rainy Day
Sky
Might
The Great Thing About Reading Is That It Broadens Your Life
Reading
Great Things
The Things We Love Destroy Us Every Time, Lad. Remember That.
Love
Thrones
Remember
Wisdom Oft Comes From The Mouth Of Babes.
Mouths
Babe
Death, There Will Be Death, Aye. Your Lordship Lost A Son At The Red Wedding. I Lost Four Upon The Blackwater. And Why? Because The Lannisters Stole The Throne. Go To King’s Landing And Look On Tommen With Your Own Eyes, If You Doubt Me. A Blind Man Could See It. What Does Stannis Offer You? Vengeance. Vengeance For My Sons And Yours, For Your Husbands And Your Fathers And Your Brothers. Vengeance For Your Murdered Lord, Your Murdered King, Your Butchered Princes. Vengeance!
Brother
Kings
Husband
Give Me Honorable Enemies Rather Than Ambitious Ones, And I'll Sleep More Easily By Night.
Sleep
Night
Giving
It Was A Story Called ‘the Hero’ Which I Sold To Galaxy Magazine In 1970, For $94.
Hero
Stories
Magazines
There Are A Lot Of People Out There Who Will Write Books, In Which Everything Turns Out Nicely And The Bad Guys Lose, The Good Guys Win, The Boy Gets The Girl And They Live Happily Ever After. There's A Million Books Like That And If That's The Comfort You're Looking For, You Should Read Those Books And Not My Books Because That's Not The Kind Of Book That I Am Interested In.
Girl
Book
Writing
"weese," She Would Whisper, First Of All. "dunsen, Chiswyck, Polliver, Raff The Sweetling. The Tickler And The Hound. Ser Gregor, Ser Armory, Ser Ilyn, Ser Meryn, King Joffrey, Queen Cersei."
Queens
Kings
Firsts
Tomorrow's Trials Concerned Her More Than Yesterday's Triumphs.
Yesterday
Triumph
Trials
Always Keep Your Foes Confused. If They Are Never Certain Who You Are Or What You Want, They Cannot Know What You Are Like To Do Next. Sometimes The Best Way To Baffle Them Is To Make Moves That Have No Purpose, Or Even Seem To Work Against You. Remember That, Sansa, When You Come To Play The Game.” “what . . . What Game?” “the Only Game. The Game Of Thrones.” -(littlefinger)
Confused
Moving
Games
We're Setting Up Mechanisms Where We Can Kill Human Beings With Drones And Missiles Where You're Sitting At A Console And Pressing The Button. We Never Have To Hear Their Whimpering, Or Hear Them Begging For Their Mother, Or Dying In Horrible Realities Around Us. I Don't Know If That's Necessarily Such A Good Thing.
Mother
Reality
Dying
You Look Pale, Sansa," Cersei Observed. "is Your Red Flower Still Blooming?" "yes" "how Apt. The Men Will Bleed Out There, And You In Here.
Flower
Men
Looks
Fantasy Is Silver And Scarlet, Indigo And Azure, Obsidian Veined With Gold And Lapis Lazuli.
Gold
Fantasy Books
Tofu
A Reader Lives A Thousand Lives Before He Dies, Said Jojen. The Man Who Never Reads Lives Only One.
Inspirational
Funny
Motivational
Why Is It That When One Man Builds A Wall, The Next Man Immediately Needs To Know What's On The Other Side?
Wall
Men
Curiosity
Names Are Hard. I Have A Library Of What To Name Your Baby Books, And I’m Always Picking Up New Books, And Books Of Baby Names From Other Countries. I Like Cool-sounding Names.
Country
Baby
Book
A Thousand Deaths Would Still Be Less Than He Deserves.
Thousand
Stills
Deserve
You May Be As Different As The Sun And The Moon, But The Same Blood Flows Through Both Your Hearts. You Need Her, As She Needs You.
Sister
Heart
Moon
I Am Surrounded By Flatterers And Fools.
Fool
Flatterer
How I Have Yearned For The Sound Of Your Sweet Voice,” Tyrion Sighed To Her. “how I Have Yearned To Have That Eunuch’s Tongue Pulled Out With Hot Pincers,” Cersei Replied.
Sweet
Voice
Sound
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