Oathbringer

“‘We will have to find a way to stop this from happening again,’ Dalinar said softly, turning back to the group. ‘We are the ones this world must be able to look to. We must provide stability, a rallying point.’”

This is the moment when Dalinar fully conceptualizes, both for himself and others, the new role that he and his people must take in a changing world. He adopts the mantle of responsibility with which he struggles throughout the novel. This quote represents Dalinar’s core belief in his own righteousness, which both galvanizes and hinders his quest.

“He’d embraced his power; he’d taken the path of a Radiant. Why hadn’t it been enough?”

Since the death of his brother, Kaladin has taken on the responsibility for the Deaths around him. He pushes himself to protect others and blames himself when he cannot. His thoughts here represent a perception that many Alethi held: that becoming Radiant would provide solutions to their problems.

“Hadn’t he sworn to protect even those he didn’t like? Wasn’t the whole point of what he had learned to keep him from doing things like this? He glanced at Syl, and she nodded to him. Do better.”

Kaladin, like Radiant companions, must learn how to be a better man. He punches the lighteyed lord who sent his brother to war—and death—but herecognizes immediately that this is a step back to the version of himself that he does not want to be.