Quotes from book
Soldiers Live

Soldiers Live
Glen Cook

Soldiers Live is the ninth novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The series combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it follows an elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, through roughly forty years of its approximately four hundred year history.

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“She had a full measure of youth’s indifference to the past.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 79, “The Taglian Territories: In Motion” (p. 620)

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“It looks like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit every single branch on the way down.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 10, “An Abode of Ravens: Recovery” (p. 396)

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“There was one temporal power greater than the greatest sorcery. Greed.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 23, “Glittering Stone: Fortress with No Name” (p. 448)

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“But, no. It was too late. Fortune’s die was cast. The cruel game had to be played to its end, no matter what anyone wanted.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 104, “Taglios: View from the Protector’s Windows” (p. 676)

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“Being an old cynic myself I have strong notions about the true value of human gratitude. It is a currency whose worth plunges by the hour.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 95, “Fortress with No Name: Down Below” (p. 654)

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““Used to be” is not worth the breeze on which it is scribbled.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 2, “An Abode of Ravens: When the Baobhas Sang” (p. 368)

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“I reminded myself that Khang Phi is bereft of arms. That the monks abhor violence. That they always yield to strength, then seduce it with reason and wisdom.
Yes, sometimes it does take a while.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 15, “The Land of Unknown Shadows: The Secret Masters” (p. 422)

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“Baladitya understands that in addition to being foreign territory the past is, as history, a hall of mirrors that reflect the needs of souls observing from the present. Absolute fact serves the hungers of only a few disconnected people. Symbol and faith serve the rest.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 12, “Glittering Stone: Steadfast Guardian” (p. 401)

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“I tend toward the cynical view where religion is concerned.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 52, “The Nether Taglian Territories: Lady Made Grumpy Noises” (p. 541)

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“He had leaped into the embrace of self-delusion.
There was a lot of that going around.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 76, “The Taglian Territories: Another Origin Story” (p. 609)

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“No world lacks its villains so self-confident that they don’t believe they can get the best end of a bargain with the darkness.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 5, “An Abode of Ravens: Headquarters” (p. 382)

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“There are several huge monasteries—of which Khang Phi is the greatest—dedicated to the preservation of knowledge. The monks do not sort it into good and evil knowledge, nor do they make moral judgments. They take the position that no knowledge is evil until someone chooses to do evil with it.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 10, “An Abode of Ravens: Recovery” (p. 397)

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“An adventure is somebody else slogging through the mud and snow while suffering from trench foot, ringworm, dysentery and starvation, being chased by people with their hearts set on murder or more. I have been there. I have done that, playing both parts. I do not recommend it. Be content with a nice farm or shop. Make lots of babies and bring them up to be good people.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 6, “An Abode of Ravens: Suvrin’s News” (p. 384)

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“Against the years all men campaign in vain.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 80, “The Taglian Territories: In Camp” (p. 621)

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“I did not reflect on what my response, as Captain, would have been toward an underling with my present attitude. The Words Immortal are: That Was Different.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 141, “Taglios: Family Matters” (p. 766)

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“It proved to be much farther than I had hoped. It always is when you are running away.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 15, “The Land of Unknown Shadows: The Secret Masters” (p. 422)

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“If I had my druthers I’d be twenty-three years old for the rest of my life. Which would last another three thousand years.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 2, “An Abode of Ravens: When the Baobhas Sang” (p. 367)

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“This is what happens when you get old. You start thinking. Worse, you start telling everybody what you think.”

Glen Cook book Soldiers Live

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 10, “An Abode of Ravens: Recovery” (p. 397)