‘Men don’t just come in two groups, one of gold and the other of lead. They are a mix of both.‘
– Rayvan, to Valtaya, The King Beyond the Gate
Tag Archives: Drenai
‘A man must always have a dream unfulfilled. What could be worse than to achieve everything one has ever dreamed of? What would one do then?‘
– Varsava, to Druss, The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend
‘Ultimately no-one survivies. That is the way of life. We are born, we live, we die. All that counts is the manner in which we live. And even that does not count for long. History will forget us. It forgets all men eventually. You want certainty? That is certainty.‘
– Nogusta, to Dagorian, Winter Warriors
‘You can’t avoid it. No one can. We are like the seasons – we grow in spring, mature in summer, fade in the autumn and die in the winter. But it is foolish to say, “It is springtime but I will grow no flowers for they must fade.” What is life without love? Perpetual winter. Cold and snow. It’s not for you, beauty. Trust me.‘
– Senta, to Miriel, Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf
‘There is no more futile phrase than if only. If only we could go back and live our lives again. If only we hadn’t said the unkind words. If only we had turned left instead of right. If only is useless. We make our mistakes and we move on.‘
– Skilgannon, to Rabalyn, White Wolf
‘The philosophers often talked of lies sitting on the tongue like salted honey. This was true enough. But more often the hidden truth was worse. Far worse. For it settled in the belly and grew to engulf the spirit.‘
– Serbitar, to himself, Legend
‘I am a woodsman. I know about trees. Once I worked in an orchard. Did you know you can take cuttings from any variety and graft them to another apple tree? One tree can have twenty varieties. It’s the same with pears. My father always said men were like that with knowledge. So much can be grafted on, but it must match what the heart feels. You can’t graft apple to pear.‘
– Druss, to Sieben, The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend
‘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
‘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