David Gemmell quotes - page 9

Why did he get himself killed for us?" "Because he was a hero. And that is what heroes do. (David Gemmell)
And what is death? an end to trouble. An end to strife and fear. View quote
David Gemmell
As men we are all cursed by the violence in our natures. View quote
David Gemmell
No man fights for dirt and grass. No, nor mountains. View quote
David Gemmell
Love is not about conquest. The truth is a man can only find true love when he surrenders to it. When he opens his heart to the partner of his soul and says: "Here it is! The very essence of me! It is yours to nurture or destroy. View quote
David Gemmell
What I did understand from the rebirth process was that the rebirth reproduced a physical duplicate of the original. But this is my point. It is physical. View quote
David Gemmell
You have suffered many wounds. View quote
David Gemmell
I understand why some men become soldiers: to protect the nation and all that. But a whole race of people living to be soldiers seems ... unhealthy. View quote
David Gemmell
Some people are born ugly. It's not their fault, and I for one have never held it against a man that he is ugly. but others - and I count myself among them - are born with handsome features. That's a gift that should not be lightly taken away. View quote
David Gemmell
Most of the heroes we remember-we remember only because they won. To win you must be ruthless. Single-minded ... which was why he had no friends-just admirers. View quote
David Gemmell
Why must I have the Piglet?' 'Because you are the best.' 'I do not understand.' 'Teach him.' 'And who teaches me?' ' As an officer, my lord, you will have many men under your command and not all will be gifted. You must learn to use each man to his best advantage ... (David Gemmell)
As men we are all cursed by the violence in our natures. Men like the Moidart - aye, and Winterbourne - revel in that nature. We do not. We struggle to overcome it. View quote
David Gemmell
The Pinance laughed. "I hate the man, but I have never before seen him as a fool or a coward.” "He is not a military man, my lord. He is a schemer, skilled in the art of politics and treachery.” "It seems to me that those two beasts are one and the same,” said the Pinance. View quote
David Gemmell
One day you'll find a love, and then we can talk on equal terms. I do not mean that to sound patronizing. You are bright and intelligent. You have courage and wit. But sometimes, it is like trying to describe colors to a blind man. Love, as I hope you will find, has great power. Even death cannot destroy it. And I still love her. View quote
David Gemmell
Majon rubbed his tired eyes. 'You mock politics,' he said softly. 'You sneer at diplomacy. But how do you think we hold the world at peace? I'll tell you, Sieben. Men like me travel to places like this, and we're fed those horse-turd cakes of yours. And we smile, and we say how nourishing they are ... We do this not for gain, but for peace and prosperity. ... Druss is a hero; he can enjoy the luxury of living his own life and speaking his own truths. Diplomats cannot. Now will you help me to convince him?' Sieben rose. 'No, ambassador, I will not. You are wrong in this - though I give you the benefit of the doubt as to your motives.' He walked to the door and turned. 'Perhaps you've been eating those cakes too long. Perhaps you have acquired a taste for them.' View quote
David Gemmell
How do you decide a battle is lost? Numbers, strategic advantage, positioning? It's all worth a sparrow's fart. It comes down to men who are willing. The largest army will founder if its men are less willing to die than to win. View quote
David Gemmell
There is only one way to survive in war, and that is by being willing to die. You will find soon that swordsmen can be downed by untutored savages who would slice their fingers if asked to carve meat. And why? because the savage is willing. Worse, he may be a baresark. View quote
David Gemmell
Galand and his brother paused by the corpse. "He doesn't seem too unhappy,” said Parsal, scratching his beard. "It's hard to know whether he's smiling or whether death has pulled his face into a grin,” said Galand. "He won't look too happy in about a month.” "Will we?” whispered Parsal. Galand shrugged, and the brothers moved on to follow the others. View quote
David Gemmell
Evil is never truly strong, for it is born of fear. Why did he fall so easily? Because he tested your strength and saw the possibility of death [...] had he possessed true courage, he would have fought back. Instead he froze - and died. View quote
David Gemmell
I had a teacher ... He said there were three kinds of people in life: winners, losers and fighters. Winners made him sick with their arrogance, losers made him sick with their whining, and fighters made him sick with their stupidity." "In which category did he put himself?" "He said he had tried all three and nothing suited him." "Well, at least he tried. That's all a man can do, Lake. And we shall try. View quote
David Gemmell
We irritated him, he told me. Why did he get himself killed for us?" "Because he was a hero. And that is what heroes do. You understand? (David Gemmell)
A warrior has only one true friend: himself. So he feeds his body well; he trains it; works on it. Where he lacks skill, he practises. Where he lacks knowledge, he studies. But above all he must believe. He must believe in the strength of will, of purpose, of heart and soul. View quote
David Gemmell
Self-preservation is a paramount desire in all of us. Good and evil are interchangeable. When the wolves pull down a fawn I don't doubt the doe would consider it an evil act. For the wolves it is a necessity, and they would see the arrival of fresh meat as good. View quote
David Gemmell
No golden age to discover now," he whispered. "No end to disease and starvation. No, bright sparkling cities reaching the clouds ... All that I have lived for is gone now. I am so tired." "Then think on this, priest: You stopped the Eternal from finding greater weapons. Your actions here have led to her death. The world is free again." "Free? Of one tyrant perhaps. You think there will be no others?" "No, I do not. But I know there will always be men to stand against them. You grieve because of a pure magic lost. That magic was corrupted by evil. This is how evil thrives. We find an herb that cures disease, and someone will make a poison from it. We forge iron to make a better plow, and someone will make a sharper sword. There can be no power that evil will not corrupt. View quote
David Gemmell