Sauces are the perfect compliment to most prepared foods. You'll find that not only are they a perfect compliment to the foods you make but they can also be very time-consuming in the making.
Most sauces have several involved steps in the process of reaching a desired taste and consistency.
There are a countless number of books that have been written about sauce making over the years. They go into great detail about the preparation of classical sauces and the more creative concoctions that la nouvelle cuisine has brought us over the last decade. One of the best books I've come across is Sauces, Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making by James Peterson, a bible for sauce preparation. I believe the most important idea to remember when you are cooking is that from these basic rules and recipes comes the freedom to try a variety of flavors, textures and colors. You're only limited by your own imagination.