David Gemmell Quotes

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 20

Source: Drenai series, The Swords of Night and Day, Ch. 8
Context: 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. What truly makes a man who he is? Is it the strength of his arms, or the courage of his soul? You have your own soul, Harad. You are not Druss. Live your own life.

Source: Lord of the Silver Bow

Source: White Wolf

Source: Lord of the Silver Bow

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 16

Source: Drenai series, Quest for Lost Heroes, Ch. 4

Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 23

Source: Drenai series, The Swords of Night and Day, Ch. 14

Source: Rigante series, Stormrider, Ch. 2

Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 31

ibid
Drenai series, Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 14

Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 24

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 6
Context: Nothing in life is easy, Arvan. But it's what I'm trained for. To lead an army. To bring death and destruction on my enemies [... ] A man must stand against evil wherever he finds it and he must use all his talents.

ibid
Drenai series, Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf
Context: 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.

Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 7
Context: [A]ll men die.... A man needs many things in his life to make it bearable. A good woman. Sons and daughters. Comradeship. Warmth. Food and shelter. but above all these things, he needs to be able to know that he is a man. And what is a man? He is someone who rises when life has knocked him down. Someone who raises his fist to heaven when a storm has ruined his crop — and then plants again. And again. A man remains unbroken by the savage twists of fate. That man may never win. But when he sees himself reflected, he can be proud of what he sees. For low he may be in the scheme of things: peasant, serf, or dispossessed. But he is unconquerable. And what is death? an end to trouble. An end to strife and fear.... Bear this in mind when you decide your future.

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.
Source: Drenai series, Quest for Lost Heroes, Ch. 3

Source: Drenai series, Quest for Lost Heroes, Ch. 1
Context: By my lights, my son, you are a young man. [... ] there should be love in your life. Am I at fault in my thinking?''Not at fault, Senior Brother. I loved once, and in truth I could love again. But the pain of loss was too much for me. I would rather live alone than suffer for it.''Then you are here to hide, Charreos, and it is not a good reason. The gift of life is too great to waste in such a fashion...

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 19
Context: A man makes mistakes, but he lives by them. Foolish it may be on occassion. But in the main it is the only way to live. We are what we say only so long as our words are iron.

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 12
Context: I never worshipped anything but my sword and my wits; now I suffer for it. But I can take it, for am I not a man?... It is not hard to be a legend, Tenaka. It is what follows when you have to live like one.

Source: Rigante series, Stormrider, Ch. 13
Context: You think evil corrupts men by saying come with me and I will turn you into a merciless killer, and damn your soul for eternity? Who would agree to such a bargain? Evil corrupts, Bael, by promising us what we want, and telling us that it is good. Evil talks of the end justifying the means. It speaks of distant goals — aye, and of golden ages. It seduces, Bael. It does not threaten. Not at first.

Source: Drenai series, The Swords of Night and Day, Ch. 21
Context: "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."

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 12
Context: 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 least they meander, like old men, to join with the sea.

Source: Drenai series, Quest for Lost Heroes, Ch. 4
Context: Never let anger, or outrage, or fear affect you. That is easy advice to give, but hard to follow. Men will bait you, they will laugh at you, they will jeer. But it is just noise, Kiall. They will hurt the people you love. They will do anything to make you angry or emotional. But the only way you can make them suffer is to win. And to do that you must remain cool.

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 4

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 13
Context: And now I am going to tell you a great truth, and if you are wise, you will take it to your heart. All men are stupid. They are full of fear and insecurity— it makes them weak. Always the other man seems stronger, more confident, more capable. It is a lie of the worst kind, for we lie to ourselves... How do you know? You do not! You listened to the voice of your inadequacy, and because you believed, you are in my power. If I draw my sword, you are dead!

Source: Drenai series, Quest for Lost Heroes, Ch. 1
Context: Gentlemen, you are in sorry condition. But war will render you yet more sorry. The soldier will fight in mud and hail, snow and ice, drought and flood. It is rare that a warrior gets to fight in comfort.

Source: Drenai series, The Swords of Night and Day, Ch. 21
Context: Winning is not everything, Stavut. Men like to think it is. Sometimes it is more important to stand against evil than to worry about beating it... Evil will always have the worst weapons. Evil will gather the greatest armies. They will burn, and plunder, and kill. But that's not the worst of it. They will try to make us believe that the only way to destroy them is to become like them. That is the true vileness of evil. It is contagious.

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 2

Source: Drenai series, The Swords of Night and Day, Ch. 11
Context: We are closest to life when we are vying with death... The blood runs hot, the air smells sweet, the sky becomes an unbearably beautiful blue. Battle is intoxicating. That is why the ghastly vileness of war has always been so popular.

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 8

Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 11
Context: Be at peace, my friend. One thing I have learnt about Death is that his bark is worse than his bite.

Source: Drenai series, The Swords of Night and Day, Ch. 10
Context: It is the curse of absolute power, Olek. There is no one to admonish you, no laws save those you make. We like to believe there is something special, even alien, about evil. We like to think that tyrants are different from the rest of us. That they are somehow inhuman. They are not. They are merely unchained, unfettered; free to do as they please.

Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 28
Context: It would be a fine thing if war could be conducted as a game where no lives were lost. At the end of a battle combatants could meet [... ] and drink and talk.

Source: Drenai series, The Swords of Night and Day, Ch. 21
Context: Winning is not everything, Stavut. Men like to think it is. Sometimes it is more important to stand against evil than to worry about beating it... Evil will always have the worst weapons. Evil will gather the greatest armies. They will burn, and plunder, and kill. But that's not the worst of it. They will try to make us believe that the only way to destroy them is to become like them. That is the true vileness of evil. It is contagious.

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 16
Context: One hundred only, Lord Earl. But judge us not by our number. Rather, watch the numbers of dead we leave behind.

Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 9
Context: Liberty is only valued when it is threatened, therefore it is the threat that highlights the value. We should be grateful to the Nadir, since they heighten the value of our liberty.

Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 23
Context: 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.

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 8

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 13
Context: And now I am going to tell you a great truth, and if you are wise, you will take it to your heart. All men are stupid. They are full of fear and insecurity— it makes them weak. Always the other man seems stronger, more confident, more capable. It is a lie of the worst kind, for we lie to ourselves... How do you know? You do not! You listened to the voice of your inadequacy, and because you believed, you are in my power. If I draw my sword, you are dead!

Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 12
Context: 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.

Source: Drenai series, The Swords of Night and Day, Ch. 5
Context: 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.

Source: Drenai series, The Swords of Night and Day, Ch. 18

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 22

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 18
Context: "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."

Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 23
Context: This enterprise was doomed, but we do what we can and do what we must. So a young farmer with wife and children decides to go home. Good! He shows a sense that you and I will never understand. They will sing songs about us, but he will ensure that there are people to sing them. He plants. We destroy.

Source: Drenai series, The Swords of Night and Day, Ch. 11
Context: We are closest to life when we are vying with death... The blood runs hot, the air smells sweet, the sky becomes an unbearably beautiful blue. Battle is intoxicating. That is why the ghastly vileness of war has always been so popular.

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 8
Context: When responsibility is thrust upon you, can you run from it? No— you have never and you never will. That is what makes you as you are. That is why men follow you, though they hate your blood. They trust you.

Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 9
Context: I don't give a damn, laddie. Until the actual moment, when they cut me down, I shall still be looking to win. And the gods of war are fickle at best.

Rigante series, Stormrider
Context: We don’t have time for theological debates, or philosophical discussion on the nature of evil,’ he said. ‘Men have been killing each other for centuries without need to blame skulls or relics.

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 8
Context: 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.

Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 6
Context: Live or die, a man and a woman need love. There is a need in the race. We need to share. To belong. Perhaps you will die before the year is out. But remember this: to have may be taken from you, to have had never. it is far better to have tasted love before dying than to die alone.

White cloaks show the dirt more thank black, and silver tarnishes.
Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 10

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 24
Context: Come back and stand with us, lad. We will all go down together— that's what makes us who we are.

Source: Drenai series, Quest for Lost Heroes, Ch. 1
Context: 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...

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 18
Context: "We don't seem to be overflowing with luck." "You make your own. I put no faith in gods, Lake. Never have. If they exist, they care very little— if at all— about ordinary mortals. I put my faith in me, and do you know why? Because I have never lost!"

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 13
Context: Look around you: see the people as they touch and show their love. But don't watch coldly, like an observer. Don't hover outside life— take part in it. There are people waiting to love you. It is not something you should turn down lightly.

Source: Rigante series, Stormrider, Ch. 7
Context: No need for confusion, my dear Mulgrave [... ] Beautiful wine and sour vinegar come from exactly the same source. Curiously if one leaves a bottle of wine open for long enough it will become vinegar. Happily in this house wine never survives long enough to go bad.

ibid
Drenai series, Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf
Context: "I thought you were the best," she chided. "Fathers always seem that way," he said dryly. "But no. With bow or knife I am superb. But with the sword? only excellent." "And so modest. Is there anything at which you do not excel?"

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 13

Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 18

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 2

Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 14
Context: 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.

Source: Drenai series, Quest for Lost Heroes, Ch. 6