‘I like your sermons, priest. They are lively and thought-provoking, and they encourage people to love one another and to be kind and compassionate. Whether the Source exists or not, these are values to be cherished.‘
– Waylander, to Chardyn, Hero in the Shadows
‘Any death produces guilt. A son dies of plague, and the mother will berate herself for not taking the child away to somewhere safe before disease struck. A man falls to his death, and his wife will think, “If only I had asked him to stay home today.” It is the nature of good people to draw burdens to themselves. All tragedy could be avoided, if only we knew it; therefore when it strikes we blame ourselves.‘
– Shalitar, to Druss, The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend
‘Hatred is like a plague. It is all-consuming, and it springs from man to man. Our enemies become demons, their wives the mothers of demons, their children infant demons.‘
– Banouin, to Connavar, Sword in the Storm
‘It is hard to explain. You start by asking yourself what makes a true man. Is it his ability to hunt, or to farm, or to breed stock? In part the answer is yes. Is it his capacity to love his family? In part the answer is also yes. But there is something else. Something grand. It seems to me that there are three instincts which drive us on. The first is self-preservation – the will to survive. The second is tribal. We have an urge to belong, to be a part of a greater whole. But the third? The third is what counts, boy, above all things.
That is even harder to explain. The lioness would willingly give her life to save her cups. That is her way. But I have seen a woman risk her life for someone else’s child. The third instinct compels us to put aside thoughts of self-preservation for the sake of another life, or a principle, or a belief.”‘
– Kebra, to Conalin, Winter Warriors
‘Now this is how courage and fear work, lad. Both will always be pushing. They are never still. And a man cannot choose to stop pushing. For if he backs away the fear will come after him, and push him pack another step, and then another. Men who give in to fear are like kings who trust in castles to keep out enemies, rather than attacking them on open ground, and scattering them. So the enemies camp round the castle, and now the king cannot get out. Slowly his food runs out, and he discovers the castle is not a very safe place to be.‘
– Odysseus, to Helikaon, Lord of the Silver Bow
