Quotes by David Gemmell

“A warrior…feeds his body well; he trains it; works on it. Where he lacks knowledge, he studies. But above all he must believe. He must believe in his strength of will, of purpose, of heart and soul.”

“A good shepherd knows time like no other, and a good shepherd sleeps well, even while dreaming of wolves.”

Nothing of real worth can ever be bought. Love, friendship, honour, valour, respect. All these things have to be earned.

It is hard to be angry when one has seen the sun rise, she said.It seems to be true, he admitted. I wonder why.Because it makes one feel so small and insignificant. It has been rising forever and will rise forever no matter what we do or do not do. All our problems are as nothing to the sun.

I would have offered you a forest of truth, but you wish to speak of a single leaf

The truth. Men will blind themselves with hot irons, rather than face it.

Fear is an aid to the warrior. It is a small fire burning. It heats the muscles, making us stronger. Panic comes when the fire is out of control, consuming all courage and pride.

We make choices every day, some of them good, some of them bad. And if we are strong enough, we live with the consequences.

No man should ever completely realize his dreams. What else would there then be to live for?

Old age is not as honorable as death, but most people seek it.

We are tiny flames, Helikaon, and we flicker alone in the great dark for no more than a heartbeat. When we strive for wealth, glory and fame, it is meaningless. The nations we fight for will one day cease to be. Even the mountains we gaze upon will crumble to dust. To truly live we must yearn for that which does not die.

An enemy is like a mans most prized flower. It brings him joy to see it buried in the ground.

Life is a struggle, from the agonies of birth to the railing against death. Devour or be devoured. The law of the wild.

How many hopes and dreams are trapped within these bones? How many wonders lie never to be discovered? This is what war is. Desolation, despair and loss. There are no victors.

Heroes are people who face down their fears. It is that simple. A child afraid of the dark who one day blows out the candle; a women terrified of the pain of childbirth who says, It is time to become a mother. Heroism does not always live on the battlefield.

Theres no shame in fear. But understand this - the coward is ruled by fear, while the hero rides it like a wild stallion.

One day the enemy will cross the Great Green. They will bring war and tragedy to these eastern lands. Such is the nature of vile men. Yet we cannot live in dread of them. We cannot hide behind these high walls, our hearts trembling. For that is not life. We must accept the needs and the duties of each day, and face them one at a time.

Yours is a race whose imagination is limited to its own small appetites. Greed, lust, envy - these are the motivating forces of humankind. What redeems you is that in every man and woman there is a seed that can grow to encompass love, joy and compassion. But this seed is never allowed to prosper in fertile ground. It struggles for life among the rocks of your human soul.

I may be stupid, as you say, to believe in honour and friendship and loyalty without price. But these are virtues to be cherished, for without them we are no more than beasts roaming the land.

I was a man before I was a king, and no true man walks away when a friend needs him.