‘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
‘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
‘Beware of arrogance, laddie. I have seen great fighters brought down by an idiot with a bow. Once I saw a fine warrior felled by a stone hurled from a child’s sling. Fate has a dark sense of humour sometimes.‘
– Druss, to Skilgannon, White Wolf
‘Never violate a woman, nor harm a child. Do not lie, cheat or steal. These things are for lesser men. Protect the weak against the evil strong. And never allow thoughts of gain to lead you into the pursuit of evil.‘
– Shadak, to Druss, The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend
‘There are few treasures in a man’s life. One of them comes with the knowledge that a man has a friend to stand beside him when the hour grows dark.‘
– Druss, to Sieben, The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend
‘There’s some would say what you did was foolish. They would tell you that it is better to live a long lifetime as a coward, rather than a short one as hero. They are wrong. The coward dies every day. Every time he runs away from danger, and leaves others to suffer in his place. Every time he watches an injustice and tells himself: “It is nothing to do with me.” Every time a man risks himself for another, and survives, he becomes more than he was before.‘
– Druss, to Rabalyn, White Wolf
‘There’s nothing to be frightened of, laddie. We live. We die. A wise man once told me that one day even the sun will fade, and all will be darkness. Everything dies. Death isn’t important. What counts is how you live.’
– Druss, to Rabalyn, White Wolf
