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121 " A servant brought them food and watered wine, and Parmenion sat and listened as Xenophon told of the March to the Sea and the evils that beset the Greeks. He outlined his strategies and his successes, but also talked of his failures and the reasons for them. The hours passed swiftly and Parmenion felt like a man dying of thirst who has found the Well of All Life. He "
― David Gemmell , Lion of Macedon (Greek Series, #1)
122 " A great man once told me there can be no courage without fear,” Helikaon said. “He was right. Remember that when your belly trembles and your legs grow weak. "
― David Gemmell , Lord of the Silver Bow (Troy, #1)
123 " If a million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing "
― David Gemmell , The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend (The Drenai Saga, #6)
124 " This was the only place in all the world for the last of the old heroes: Druss the Legend, standing with the last hopes of the Drenai on the battlements of the greatest fortress ever built, waiting for the largest army in the world. Where else would he be? "
― David Gemmell , Legend (The Drenai Saga, #1)
125 " Someone, who when the whole world turns against you, is still standing by your side. "
― David Gemmell , In the Realm of the Wolf (The Drenai Saga, #5)
126 " Each man has a breaking point, no matter how strong his spirit. Somewhere, deep inside him, there is a flaw that only the fickle cruelty of fate can find. A man’s strength is ultimately born of his knowledge of his own weakness, "
127 " A man is only as strong as that which makes him angry. "
128 " Are you the Deathwalker?’ called the man. ‘Yes.’ ‘You are old and fat. It pleases me.’ ‘Good! Remember that when next we meet, for I have marked you, Loudmouth, and my axe knows the name of your spirit. Now, what is your message? "
129 " But an old friend once told me that society is like a spear point—wide at the base, pointed at the tip. Democrats believe you can reshape it, removing the point. But as if by magic, it will grow again. There will always be kings, Thetis, and if not kings, then dictators. It is the nature of man to strive to rise above others, to impose his will on all. "
130 " It is baffling to me why so many people find it difficult to say, "I was wrong." The words, when spoken with repentance, always turn away wrath. But those who cling to their absolute lightness, despite any evidence to the contrary, will always arouse anger in their comrades or superiors. "
― David Gemmell , Morningstar
131 " would ride into fire. For Odysseus that whip was pride. "
― David Gemmell , Shield of Thunder (Troy, #2)
132 " All things in the world are created for Man, yet all have two purposes. The waters run that we might drink of them, but they are also symbols of the futility of Man. They reflect our lives in rushing beauty, birthed in the purity of the mountains. As babes they babble and run, gushing and growing as they mature into strong young rivers. Then they widen and slow until at last they meander, like old men, to join with the sea. And like the soles of men in the Nethervoid, they mix and mingle until the sun lifts them again as raindrops to fall upon the mountains. "
― David Gemmell , The King Beyond the Gate (The Drenai Saga, #2)
133 " But remember this: to have may be taken from you, to have had never. "
134 " But the baresark loses all fear; his is all-out attack, and invariably he takes his opponent with him even if he falls. "
135 " I've had enough of it already. Shining armour. Dawn parades. Forced marches. Midnight inspections. Penalties for sloppy salutes, uncombed crests, talking after lights out. The man's mad. "
136 " Any good that I may do, let me do it now, for I may not pass this way again. "
― David Gemmell , The Legend of Deathwalker (The Drenai Saga, #7)
137 " Man alone, it seems, lives all his life in the knowledge of death. And yet there is more to life than merely waiting for death. For life to have meaning, there must be a purpose. A man must pass something on – otherwise he is useless. "
138 " By nature of definition only the coward is capable of the highest heroism”. "
139 " We are not made for life at all, old horse. It is made for us. We live it. We leave it. "
140 " Nothing would ever have been achieved, he thought, if men had allowed themselves to be diverted by the scale of the problems faced. "