Kelsier Quotes

There's always another secret.' -Kelsier

Men rarely see their own actions as unjustified.

Marsh: Our best efforts were never even a mild annoyance to the Lord Ruler." Kelsier: Ah, but being an annoyance is something that I am very good at. In fact, I'm far more than just a 'mild' annoyance--people tell me I can be downright frustrating. Might as well use this talent for the cause of good, eh?

Vin: I don't know -- and it's all your fault, you know. I used to understand everything. Now it's all confused. Kelsier: Yes, we've messed you up right properly.

I am the one thing you can never kill. I am Hope.

Every action we take has consequences, Vin," Kelsier said. "I've found that in both Allomancy and life, the person who can best judge the consequences of their actions will be the most successful.

Breeze strolled over to the table and chose a seat with his characteristic decorum. The portly man raised his dueling cane, pointing it at Ham. 'I see that my period of intellectual respite has come to an end.' Ham smiled. 'I thought up a couple beastly questions while I was gone, and I've been saving them just for you, Breeze.' 'I'm dying of anticipation,' Breeze said. He turned his cane toward Lestibournes. 'Spook, drink.' Spook rushed over and fetched Breeze a cup of wine. 'He's such a fine lad,' Breeze noted, accepting the drink. 'I barely even have to nudge him Allomantically. If only the rest of you ruffians were so accommodating.' Spook frowned. 'Niceing the not on the playing without.' 'I have no idea what you just said, child,' Breeze said. 'So I'm simply going to pretend it was coherent, then move on.' Kelsier rolled his eyes. 'Losing the stress on the nip,' he said. 'Notting without the needing of care.' 'Riding the rile of the rids to the right,' Spook said with a nod. 'What are you two babbling about?' Breeze said testily. 'Wasing the was of brightness,' Spook said. 'Nip the having of wishing of this.' 'Ever wasing the doing of this,' Kelsier agreed. 'Ever wasing the wish of having the have,' Ham added with a smile. 'Brighting the wish of wasing the not.' Breeze turned to Dockson with exasperation. 'I believe our companions have finally lost their minds, dear friend.' Dockson shrugged. Then, with a perfectly straight face, he said, 'Wasing not of wasing is.

Oh, hell,” Kelsier said. “There’s actually a God?” “Yes.” Kelsier decked him. It was a good, clean punch, thrown from the shoulder while he brought his other arm up to block a counter strike.

How do you do that?” Mennis asked, frowning. “What?” “Smile so much.” “Oh, I’m just a happy person.

Kelsier smiled. 'It means that you, Vin, are a very special person. You have a power that most high noblemen envy. It is a power that, had you been born an aristocrat, would have made you one of the most deadly and influential people in all of the final empire.' Kelsier leaned forward again. 'But, you weren't born an aristocrat. You're not noble, Vin. You don't have to play by their rules--and that makes you even more powerful.

Ideas are never original," Kelsier said. "Only one thing is." "And what is that? "Style," Kelsier said. Then he punched Ruin across the face.

I killed you once", the Lord Ruler said, turning back to Kelsier. "You tried", Kelsier replied, his voice loud and firm, carrying across the square. "But you can't kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent that thing you've never been able to kill no matter how hard you try. I am hope.

It was his ability to trust," she said. "It was the way that he made good people into better people, the way that he inspired them. His crew worked because he had confidence in them - because he respected them. And, in return, they respected each other. Men like Breeze and Clubs became heroes because Kelsier had faith in them.

Don't use his name as an oath, Vin,' Kelsier said. 'Even blasphemy honors him - when you curse by that creature's name, you acknowledge him as your god.

If there was one thing Kelsier was good at, it was lying to himself.

I think that's everything. It was a fun job, wasn't it? When you remember me, please remember that. Remember to smile. Now, move quickly. May you rule in wisdom." - Kelsier

She remembered timidly standing atop the Luthadel city wall, afraid to use her Allomancy to jump off, despite Kelsier's coaxing. Now she could step off a cliff and muse thoughtfully to herself on the way down.

Kelsier exhaled in exasperation. “Elend Venture? You risked your life—risked the plan, and our lives—for that fool of a boy?” Vin looked up, glaring at him. “Yes.” “What is wrong with you, girl?” Kelsier asked. “Elend Venture isn’t worth this.” She stood angrily, Sazed backing away, the cloak falling the floor. “He’s a good man!” “He’s a nobleman!” “So are you!” Vin snapped. She waved a frustrated arm toward the kitchen and the crew. “What do you think this is, Kelsier? The life of a skaa? What do any of you know about skaa? Aristocratic suits, stalking your enemies in the night, full meals and nightcaps around the table with your friends? That’s not the life of a skaa!” She took a step forward, glaring at Kelsier. He blinked in surprise at the outburst. “What do you know about them, Kelsier?” she asked. “When’s the last time you slept in an alley, shivering in the cold rain, listening to the beggar next to you cough with a sickness you knew would kill him? When’s the last time you had to lay awake at night, terrified that one of the men in your crew would try to rape you? Have you ever knelt, starving, wishing you had the courage to knife the crewmember beside you just so you could take his crust of bread? Have you ever cowered before your brother as he beat you, all the time feeling thankful because at least you had someone who paid attention to you?” She fell silent, puffing slightly, the crewmembers staring at her. “Don’t talk to me about noblemen,” Vin said. “And don’t say things about people you don’t know. You’re no skaa— you’re just noblemen without titles.” She turned, stalking from the room. Kelsier watched her go, shocked, hearing her footsteps on the stairs. He stood, dumbfounded, feeling a surprising flush of ashamed guilt. And, for once, found himself without anything to say.

You blessed lunatic … you blessed genius!" Kelsier smiled wryly. “I appreciate both compliments.

Thievery was the most authentic form of flattery. What could be more satisfying than knowing the things you possessed were intriguing, captivating, or valuable enough to provoke another man to risk everything to obtain them? This was Kelsier’s purpose in life, to remind people of the value of the things they loved. By taking them away.

Everything costs money," Ham said. "But, what is money? A physical representation of the abstract concept of effort. I'd say that this vest and I are even now." Dockson just rolled his eyes. In the main room, the shop's front door opened and closed, and Vin heard Breeze bid hello to the apprentice on watch. "By the way, Dox," Kelsier said, leaning with his back against a cupboard. "I'm going to need a few 'physical representations of the concept of effort' myself. I'd like to rent a small warehouse to conduct some of my informant meetings.

Attacking a provincial lord in his manor house, surrounded by guards...Honestly, Kell, I'd nearly forgotten how foolhardy you can be. "Foolhardy?" Kelsier asked with a laugh. "that wasn't foolhardy - that was just a small diversion. You should see some of the things I'm planning to do! Dockson stood for a moment then he laughed too. "By the Lord Ruler, it's good to have you back, kell! I'm afraid I've grown rather boring during the last few years" "We'll fix that" Kelsier promised.

Too proud to crawl?" Kelsier said. "Nonsense! Why, I'd say that we Mistborn are too proud not to be humble enough to go crawling about -- in a dignified manner, of course." Dockson frowned, approaching the desk. "Kell, that didn't make any sense." "We Mistborn need not make sense," Kelsier said haughtily.

Yes, I keep the flower,” Kelsier said. “I’m not really sure why. But…do you stop loving someone just because they betray you? I don’t think so. That’s what makes the betrayal hurt so much—pain, frustration, anger…and I still loved her. I still do.

Kelsier glanced down at his hands and forearms. They still burned sometimes, though he was certain the pain was only in his mind. He looked up at Mennis and smiled. “You ask why I smile, Goodman Mennis? Well, the Lord Ruler thinks he has claimed laughter and joy for himself. I’m disinclined to let him do so. This is one battle that doesn’t take very much effort to fight.

Kelsier would not back down. He would not let this thing intimidate him again. He’d already killed one god. The second murder was always easier than the first.

Kelsier smiled. Gods, it appeared, could still fall for a classic misdirection con.

Huh, Kelsier thought. He holds the powers of creation in twain, a god among gods. And he’s still a terrible liar.

Traitors." "People," Marsh said. "People who were just trying to do the best with what life gave them." "Well, I'm just doing the same thing," Kelsier said. "And, fortunately, life gave me the ability to push men like them off the tops of buildings.

I want you to tell me about the Survivor," he finally said. "He was lord of the mists," Demoux said immediately. "Not the rhetoric," Elend said. "Someone tell me about the man, Kelsier. I never met him, you know. I saw him once, right before he died, but I never knew him." "What's the point?" Cett asked. "We've all heard the stories. He's practically a god, if you listen to the skaa." "Just do as I ask," Elend said. The tent was still for a few moments. Finally, Ham spoke. "Kell was . . . grand. He wasn't just a man, he was bigger than that. Everything he did was large—his dreams, the way he spoke, the way he thought. . . ." "And it wasn't false," Breeze added. "I can tell when a man is being a fake. That's why I started my first job with Kelsier, actually. Amidst all the pretenders and posturers, he was genuine. Everyone wanted to be the best. Kelsier really was." "He was a man," Vin said quietly. "Just a man. Yet, you always knew he'd succeed. He made you be what he wanted you to be." "So he could use you," Breeze said. "But you were better when he was done with you," Ham added

Clubs shook his head. "Kelsier. Gave us a city, made us think we were responsible for protecting it." "But we aren't that kind of people," Breeze said. "We're thieves and scammers. We shouldn't care. I mean... I've gotten so bad that I Soothe scullery maids so that they'll have a happier time at work! I might as well start dressing in pink and carrying around flowers. I could probably make quite a bundle at weddings." Clubs snorted. Then he raised his cup. "To the Survivor," he said "May he be damned for knowing us better than we knew in ourselves." Breeze raised his own cup. " Damn him," he agreed quietly.

She remembered Kelsier, standing boldly before a small group of thieves, proclaiming that they would overthrow the Lord Ruler and free the empire. We're thieves, he'd said. And we're extraordinarily good ones. We can rob the unrobbable and fool the unfoolable. We know how to take an incredibly large task and break it down to manageable pieces, then deal with each of those pieces. That day, when he'd written up the team's goals and plans on a small board, Vin had been amazed by how possible he had made an impossible task seem. That day, a little bit of her had begun to believe that Kelsier could overthrow the Final Empire.

Kelsier watched after him, then did the only rational thing. He ate the bolt he'd taken from the bottom of the stool.

Deal with your own stupid planet, you idiot. Don’t make me come over there and slap you around again.

At his neck, hanging outside his clothing, Demoux wore a necklace that bore a small silver spear: the increasingly popular symbol of the Church of the Survivor. It seemed odd to her that the weapon that killed Kelsier would become the symbol of his followers.

Do what you can,” Kelsier said. “I’ll seek these people to the west.” “They won’t help.” “I’m not going to ask for their help,” Kelsier said, then smiled. “I’m going to rob them.

Nuestra fe es a menudo más fuerte cuando debería ser más débil. Ésa es la naturaleza de la esperanza. Kelsier

You're late, Kell", Dockson said, still not looking up from his ledgers. "I strive for nothing if not consistency" - Kelsier

Life as a human being is about posturing and influence.

Oh, hell,” Kelsier said. “There’s actually a God?” “Yes.” Kelsier decked him.

I . . . assumed that I'd have to earn this somehow." "What's there to earn?" Kelsier said, pulling out his own cloak. "This is who you are, Vin.

Glass broke and metal tools clattered to the ground. “Have you any idea what all of that is worth?” Shezler growled, lowering his arm and advancing. “Your soul, apparently,” Kelsier whispered.

Yes. Fortunately, before I died, I put a plan into motion. I can’t remember it, but I’m certain that it was brilliant.” “You know, I’ve said something similar myself on occasion, after a night of drinking." Kelsier rubbed his chin. "I'm free too.

You tried,' Kelsier replied, his voice loud and firm, carrying across the square. 'But you can't kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent that thing you've never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope.

Sazed?" she asked, peeking back out into the hallway. The steward paused, turning back. "Yes, Mistress Vin?" "Kelsier," Vin said quietly. "He's a good man, isn't he?" Sazed smiled. "A very good man, Mistress. One of the best I've known." Vin nodded slightly. "A good man..." she said softly. "I don't think I've ever known one of those before.

I represent that one thing you've never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope - Kelsier

Kelsier was right again. I wonder if he ever gets tired of that.

Whatever this man wanted, Kelsier’s instincts said that he shouldn’t be allowed to have it.

Yes, but where were you?" Ham asked pointedly. "We've been worried sick that you were out doing something...well, stupid." "Actually," Breeze noted, "we took it for granted that you were doing something stupid. We've just been wondering how stupid this particular even would turn out to be. So, what is it? Did you assassinate the lord prelan? Slaughter dozens of noblemen? Steal the clock off the Lord Ruler's own back?" "I destroyed the Pits of Hathsin," Kelsier said quietly. The room fell silent. "You know," Breeze finally said, "you'd think that by now we'd have learned not to underestimate him.

She looked up at Sazed, who smiled at her. “Sometimes we just have to wait long enough, Mistress,” he said. “Then we find out why exactly it was that we kept believing. There is a saying that Master Kelsier was fond of.

Most of you Mistborn are probably too proud to crawl. I'm surprised you were willing to do so yourself." "Too proud to crawl?" Kelsier said. "Nosense! Why, I'd say that we Mistborn are too proud not to be humble enough to go crawling about--in a dignified manner, of course." Dockson frowned, approaching the desk. "Kell, that didn't make any sense." "We Mistborn need not make sense.

He was a man. Just a man. Yet, you always knew he'd succeed. He made you be what he wanted you to be.

Ah, Ham, Kelsier thought. I wish I could explain everything to you. Plots behind plots, plans beyond plans. There was always another secret.

I named you, Spook,” Kelsier whispered. “You were my friend. Isn’t that enough?

Oh, they had leaders, Master Kelsier,” Sazed said. “Dead ones, true, but leaders nonetheless.” “Some men would say that their devotion didn’t make sense,” Kelsier said. “The loss of the Vallan leaders should have broken the people, not made them more determined to keep going.” Sazed shook his head. “Men are more resilient than that, I think. Our belief is often strongest when it should be weakest. That is the nature of hope.

She hadn’t spent as much time with Dockson as she had with Kelsier and Sazed—or even Ham and Breeze. He seemed like a kind man, however. Very stable, and very clever. While most of the others contributed some kind of Allomantic power to the crew, Dockson was valuable because of his simple ability to organize.

Kelsier chuckled. "I wonder what I've unleashed upon the world by teaching you Allomancy. Of course, my trainer said the same thing about me." "He was right to worry." "Of course he was.

Kelsier: "You've got to have some idea what I could try, Fuzz." God: "What did you just call me?" Kelsier: "Fuzz, I've got to try something." Fuzz/God: "You could try 'My Lord,'" Fuzz said with a huff." Kelsier: "That's a terrible nickname for a crew member." ... "So," Fuzz said. "You are not only the first person to punch me, you're also the first to try and recruit me. You are a distinctively strange man." Kelsier: " You don't know my friends...

The figure stood in the flames, dark, hard to make out. "I've given you the blessing of pewter, Spook," the voice said. "Use it to escape this place. You can break through the boards on the far side of that hallway, escape out onto the roof of the building nearby. The soldiers won't be watching for you—they're too busy controlling the fire so it doesn't spread." Spook nodded. The heat didn't bother him anymore. "Thank you." The figure stepped forward, becoming more than just a silhouette. Flames played against the man's firm face, and Spook's suspicions were confirmed. There was a reason he'd trusted that voice, a reason why he'd done what it had said. He'd do whatever this man commanded. "I didn't give you pewter just so you could live, Spook," Kelsier said, pointing. "I gave it to you so you could get revenge. Now, go!

It’s always a dangerous thing for a writer to resurrect a character. It threatens to undermine the consequences in a story, and minimizes the risks characters take. At the same time, I knew Kelsier’s story—in specific—was not yet finished. Readers sensed this. There was more to be told.

Kelsier rapped lightly on the door, and Dockson strolled over, pulling it open. "And he makes his stunning entry!" Kelsier announced, sweeping into the room, throwing back his mistcloak. Dockson snorted, shutting the doors. "You're truly a wonder to behold, Kell. Particularly the soot stains on your knees.

La fe… Recordó una voz del pasado. Su propia voz, hablándole a Vin aquel terrible día tras la muerte de Kelsier. La fe no es solo para los bellos momentos y los días felices. ¿Qué es creer, qué es la fe si no persistes en ella después del fracaso?

Sometimes, Kelsier felt that a skaa Misting’s life wasn’t so much about surviving as it was about picking the right time to die.

What could be more satisfying than knowing the things you possessed were intriguing, captivating, or valuable enough to provoke another man to risk everything to obtain them? This was Kelsier’s purpose in life, to remind people of the value of the things they loved. By taking them away

Kelsier’s men fought with passion—despite their other, numerous hindrances, they still had this one advantage. This is what happens when you finally convince them to fight. This is what hides within them all.

Sometimes it is the very people who no one imagines anything of, who do the things that no one can imagine.

Vin frowned. “You would gather stories about Kelsier?” “Of course,” Sazed said. “I collect all religions.” Vin snorted. “This is no religion we’re talking about, Sazed. This is Kelsier.” “I disagree. He is certainly a religious figure to the skaa.” “But, we knew him,” Vin said. “He was no prophet or god. He was just a man.” “So many of them are, I think,” Sazed said quietly.

In the end, after kingdoms and armies had fallen, the religions were still fighting, weren't they?" "Indeed." Sazed said. ‘' "What made them so strong?" Kelsier said. "How did they do it Saze? What gave these theologies such power over people?" "It wasn't any one thing, I think," Sazed said. "Some were strong through honest faith, others because of the hope they promised." "But they all had passion," Kelsier said. "That's what we've lost.

Anyway, there was a God. Adonalsium. I don’t know if it was a force or a being, though I suspect the latter. Sixteen people, together, killed Adonalsium, ripping it apart and dividing its essence between them, becoming the first who Ascended.” “Who were they?” Kelsier said, trying to make sense of this. “A diverse group,” she said. “With equally diverse motives. Some wished for the power; others saw killing Adonalsium as the only good option left to them. Together they murdered a deity, and became divine themselves.” She smiled in a kindly way, as if to prepare him for what came next. “Two of those created this planet, Survivor, including the people on it.” “So . . . my world, and everyone I know,” Kelsier said, “is the creation of a pair of . . . half gods?” “More like fractional gods,” Nazh said. “And ones with no particular qualifications for deityhood, other than being conniving enough to murder the guy who had the job before.” “Oh, hell . . .” Kelsier breathed. “No wonder we’re all so bloody messed up.” “Actually,” Khriss noted, “people are generally like that, no matter who made them. If it’s any consolation, Adonalsium originally created the first humans, therefore your gods had a pattern to use.” “So

He was a man.Just a man. Yet, you always knew he'd succeed. He made you be what he wanted you to be.

He was running through mists again. Walls, people, buildings faded. Nothing but dark, swirling mists. But the mists had never been his enemy.

Oh, hell," Kelsier said. "There's actually a God?" "Yes." Kelsier decked him.

I didn’t give you pewter just so you could live, Spook,” Kelsier said, pointing. “I gave it to you so you could get revenge. Now, go!

Kelsier had, apparently, insisted on laughing, no matter how bad the situation. It had been a form of rebellion to him.

You still have some things to learn about friendship, Vin, Kelsier’s voice whispered in her mind. I hope someday you realize what they are.… I can’t leave him. I won’t.

I love Elend, but he doesn’t want me anymore.” She looked up at Kelsier. “When are you going to go? When will you leave me?

if Master Kelsier wanted us to hear what he was saying, would he not speak in a louder voice?

It hadn’t been for the money, the fame, or even—as most suspected—for revenge. Kelsier knew Mare’s heart. He’d known that she dreamed of days when plants flourished and the sky was not red.

Kelsier shrugged. 'I think... I think given the choice between loving Mare--betrayal included--and never knowing her, I'd choose love. I risked, and I lost, but the risk was still worth it.

Kelsier,” Vin said softly. “He’s a good man, isn’t he?” Sazed smiled. “A very good man, mistress. One of the best I’ve known.” Vin nodded slightly. “A good man…” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever known one of those before.

—¡Kelsier está muerto, Elend! —replicó Vin—. ¿Soy la única que ve la ironía en todo esto? ¡Lo llamamos el Superviviente, cuando fue él quien no sobrevivió! Permitió convertirse en mártir. Se suicidó. ¿Qué forma de sobrevivir es esa?

Kelsier said haughtily. “What’s this?” “From your brother,” Dockson said, pointing at a large map laid across the desk. “It arrived this afternoon in the hollow of a broken table leg that the Canton of Orthodoxy hired Clubs to repair.

Protect her, Saze. She might be a powerful Allomancer, but she’s inexperienced. I’ll feel a lot less guilty about sending her into those aristocratic dens if I know you’re with her.” “I will protect her with my life, Master Kelsier. I promise you this.” Kelsier smiled, resting a thankful hand on Sazed’s shoulder. “I feel pity for the man who gets in your way.

Time to go, kid,” Ham said. His eyes examined Kelsier one last time, as if to quash any lingering hope that his friend’s broken body still retained a spark of life. Then he towed her away. Vin continued to struggle weakly, but she was growing numb. In the back of her mind, she heard Reen’s voice. See. I told you he would leave you. I warned you. I promised you.…

Breeze raised his dueling cane, pointing it at Ham. "I see my period of intellectual respite has come to an end." Ham smiled. "I thought up a couple of beastly questions while I was gone, and I've been saving them just for you, Breeze." "I'm dying of anticipation," Breeze said. He turned his cane toward Lestibournes. "Spook, drink." Spook rushed over and fetched Breeze a cup of wine. "He's such a fine lad," Breeze noted, accepting the drink. "I barely even have to nudge him Allomantically. If only the rest of you ruffians were so accommodating." Spook frowned "Niceing the not on the playing without." "I have no idea what you just said, child," Breeze said. "So I'm simply going to pretend it was coherent, then move on." Kelsier rolled his eyes. "Losing the stress on the nip," he said. "Notting without the needing of care." "Riding the rile of the rids to the right," Spook said with a nod. "What are you two babbling about?" Breeze said testily. "Wasing the was of brightness," Spook said. "Nip the having of wishing of this." "Ever wasing the doing of this," Kelsier agreed. Breeze turned to Dockson with exasperation. "I believe our companions have finally lost their minds, dear friend." Dockson shrugged. Then, with a perfectly straight face, he said, "Wasing not of wasing is." Breeze sat, dumbfounded, and the room burst into laughter. Breeze rolled his eyes indignantly, shaking his head and muttering about the crew's gross childishness. Vin nearly choked on her wine as she laughed. "What did you even say?" she asked of Dockson as he sat down beside her. "I'm not sure," he confessed. "It just sounded right." "I don't think you said anything, Dox," Kelsier said.

He looked down, then he walked over and crouched before her, holding out a cloak. “There are some things you can’t hide from, Vin. I know—I’ve tried.” She accepted the cloak, then wrapped it around her shoulders. “What happened tonight?” he asked. “What really happened?” “Elend told me that he didn’t want to be with me anymore.” “Ah,” Kelsier said, moving over to sit beside her. “Was this before or after you killed his former fiancée?” “Before,” Vin said.

This is a man who cares, she thought. A man like Kelsier, or like Dockson. A good man. Why can’t they see that? Finally Elend sighed, standing and pulling over a chair for himself. He sat down, elbow resting against the railing, running his hand through his messy hair. “Well,” he noted, “you probably aren’t the first lady I’ve made cry at a ball, but you are the first one I’ve made cry that I sincerely care about. My gentlemanly prowess has reached new depths.

Vin nodded, sniffling quietly. “I know. I’m an idiot.” “No more than the rest of us,” Kelsier said with a sigh. He looked up into the mists. “I loved Mare too, even after she betrayed me. Nothing could change how I felt.” “And that’s why it hurts so much,” Vin said, remembering what Kelsier had said before. I think I finally understand. “You don’t stop loving someone just because they hurt you,” he said. “It would certainly make things easier if you did.” She started to sniffle again, and he put a fatherly arm around her. She pulled close, trying to use his warmth to push away the pain. “I loved him, Kelsier,” she whispered. “Elend? I know.

There was almost nothing remaining of the left side of his face. The right side, however … it still smiled faintly, single dead eye staring up into the red-black sky. Flakes of ash settled softly on his face. “Kelsier, no…” Vin said, tears streaming down her face. She prodded his body, feeling for a pulse. There was none. “You said you couldn’t be killed!” she cried. “What of your plans? What of the Eleventh Metal? What of me?” He didn’t move. Vin had trouble seeing through the tears. It’s impossible. He always said we aren’t invincible … but that meant me. Not him. Not Kelsier. He was invincible. He should have been. Someone grabbed her and she squirmed, crying out.

I’m not really sure why. But . . . do you stop loving someone just because they betray you? I don’t think so. That’s what makes the betrayal hurt so much—pain, frustration, anger . . . and I still loved her. I still do.” “How?” Vin asked. “How can you? And, how can you possibly trust people? Didn’t you learn from what she did to you?” Kelsier shrugged. “I think . . . I think given the choice between loving Mare—betrayal included—and never knowing her, I’d choose love. I risked, and I lost, but the risk was still worth it. It’s the same with my friends. Suspicion is healthy in our profession—but only to an extent. I’d rather trust my men than worry about what will happen if they turn on me.” “That sounds foolish,” Vin said. “Is happiness foolish?” Kelsier asked, turning toward her. “Where have you been happier, Vin? On my crew, or back with Camon?” Vin paused.

There's always another secret. -- Kelsier

He bumped the door open with his hip and spun through, sweeping the rifle's barrel across what did indeed prove to be a small but well-appointed kitchen. He debated opening the drawers to ensure they weren't some sort of façade concealing a hiding place but decided against it; it was clearly just a d*** kitchen, and he didn't have Kelsier pegged as the sort of man who was paranoid enough to build a bolt-hole into a kitchen located in a secret network of tunnels in the middle of a lonely asteroid. You had to draw the line somewhere.

What could be more satisfying than knowing the things you possessed were intriguing, captivating, or valuable enough to provoke another man to risk everything to obtain them? This was Kelsier’s purpose in life, to remind people of the value of the things they loved. By taking them away. These

Kelsier dropped a coin and launched himself into the air. As he landed on a rooftop, he caught a glimpse of Hoid scuttling over to pluck the coin off the ground. Hoid didn’t have any trouble locating it, despite his “weak eyesight.” Kelsier smiled, then kept moving. Hoid hadn’t mentioned Kelsier’s tardiness, but Kelsier’s next appointment would not be so forgiving.

Gold and atium are complements, like the other metal pairs,” Kelsier said. “Atium lets you see, marginally, into the future. Gold works in a similar way, but it lets you see into the past. Or, at least, it gives you a glimpse of another version of yourself, had things been different in the past.

Could he really go back down into those cramped, quiet depths? Could he enter the darkness again? Kelsier held up this arms. looking up at the stars, still white and stark on his arms. Yes. For her dreams, he could.

Kelsier fell silent. “That’s your father?” he finally asked. “Who?” Dockson asked, squinting. “I can’t make out their faces.” “Tevidian,” Kelsier said. “The lord prelan?” Dockson asked with shock. “What?” Vin asked. “Who’s that?” Breeze chuckled. “The lord prelan is the leader of the Ministry, my dear. He’s the most important of the Lord Ruler’s obligators—technically, he’s even higher ranked than the Inquisitors.

Toda acción que emprendemos tiene sus consecuencias, Vin —dijo Kelsier—. He descubierto que tanto en la alomancia como en la vida la persona que mejor pueda juzgar las consecuencias de sus acciones será la que tenga más éxito.

The Lord Ruler got that atium somewhere. What if he just goes and mines some more?” Ham nodded. “No one even knows where the atium mine is.” “I wouldn’t say no one,” Kelsier said with a smile. Breeze and Ham shared a look. “You know?” Ham asked. “Of course,” Kelsier said. “I spent a year of my life working there.” “The Pits?” Ham asked with surprise. Kelsier nodded. “That’s why the Lord Ruler makes certain nobody survives working there—he can’t afford to let his secret out. It’s not just a penal colony, not just a hellhole where skaa are sent to die. It’s a mine.

And, if you have access to at least two of the eight, then you have access to the rest as well. That’s the way it works—if you’re an Allomancer, you either get one skill or you get them all.” Kelsier leaned forward. “You, Vin, are what is generally called a Mistborn. Even amongst the nobility, they’re incredibly rare.