Brandon Mull

Smart people learn from their mistakes. But the real sharp ones learn from the mistakes of others.

We humans are conflicted beings. Our beliefs don't always harmonize with our instincts, and our behavior doesn't always reflect our beliefs. ... We wage war between the person we are and the person we hope to become.

Choices determine character.

An unread book does nobody any good. Stories happen in the mind of a reader, not among symbols printed on a page.

When jumping is the sole option, you jump, and try to make it work.

Excruciating agony makes me cranky.

We all posses different gifts and abilities. How we use those gifts determines who we are.

Luck has a way of evaporating when you lean on it.

Running toward danger is foolhardy. ... But so is closing your eyes to it. Many perils become less dangerous once you understand their potential hazards.

The curse of mortality. You spend the first portion of your life learning, growing stronger, more capable. And then, through no fault of your own, your body begins to fail. You regress. Strong limbs become feeble, keen senses grow dull, hardy constitutions deteriorate. Beauty withers. Organs quit. You remember yourself in your prime, and wonder where that person went. As your wisdom and experience are peaking, your traitorous body becomes a prison.