“A man must stand against evil wherever he finds it and he must use all his talents.”
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.
“Evil corrupts, Bael, by promising us what we want, and telling us that it is good.”
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. 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.
“They will try to make us believe that the only way to destroy them is to become like them.”
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.
“But judge us not by our number. Rather, watch the numbers of dead we leave behind”
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.
“Self-preservation is a paramount desire in all of us.”
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.
“We will all go down together—that's what makes us who we are.”
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.
“You must learn to use each man to his best advantage”
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...
“Why did he get himself killed for us?" "Because he was a hero. And that is what heroes do.”
Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 20
Context: "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?"
Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 9
Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 9
Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 23
Source: Drenai series, The King Beyond the Gate, Ch. 14
“None of us can choose the manner of our passing.”
Source: Drenai series, Legend, Pt 1: Against the Horde, Ch. 10
Source: Drenai series, The Swords of Night and Day, Ch. 10