Best David Gemmell Quotes & Sayings

No need for confusion, my dear Mulgrave [ ... ] Beautiful wine and sour vinegar come from exactly the same source. Curiously if one leaves a bottle of wine open for long enough it will become vinegar. Happily in this house wine never survives long enough to go bad. — David Gemmell

There is a darkness in you. In all of us, probably. Beasts we keep chained. Ordinary men have to keep the chains strong, for if we let the beast loose then society will turn upon us with fiery vengeance. Kings though ... well, who is there to turn upon them? So the chains are made of straw. It is the curse of kings, Helikaon, that they can become monsters. And they invariably do. — David Gemmell

You can buy gold that is bright as the sun and diamonds as pale as the moon. But you cannot buy the sun. You cannot own the moon. II — David Gemmell

What will you do now?'
I think I will become a monk and devote my entire life to prayer and good works.'
No,' said Rek. 'I mean, what will you do today?'
Ah! Today I'll get drunk and go whoring,' said Bowman. — David Gemmell

Risks? I have lived with the prospect of assassination for years. What risks? All men die, rich and poor alike. But if I am to die, then let it be while I fight, not like some bullock in a pen waiting for the ax to fall. — David Gemmell

It is the nature of men to build walls around themselves. They think it will protect them from hurt. It does the opposite. The hurt still gets in, but now it rattles around the walls, unable to get out. So you build more walls. You are now seeing the world without walls. You are free, Ro. Free to hurt and free to heal. — David Gemmell

When your life has been spent in one war after another for forty-five years, you have to be pretty handy to survive. — David Gemmell

I don't give a damn, laddie. Until the actual moment, when they cut me down, I shall still be looking to win. And the gods of war are fickle at best. — David Gemmell

When healers yearn to kill then hope begins to die ... Evil cannot be overcome by evil. — David Gemmell

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. — David Gemmell

Love is both wondrous and yet full of peril. Love is a gateway through which hatred - disguised and unrecognized - can pass. — David Gemmell

Drawing his sword, he gazed down at the gleaming blade. 'I pledge you to the destruction of Sparta,' he whispered. Raising the weapon high he pointed it to the south-east and, though the city was far beyond his range of vision, he pictured the sword poised above it with the sun's harsh light turning it to fire. — David Gemmell

Death haunts everyone and never fails — David Gemmell

I make little distinction betwee those who commit evil and those who stand by and do nothing. — David Gemmell

And what is a man? He is someone who rises when life has knocked him down. He is someone who raises his fist to heaven when a storm has ruined his crop
and then plants again. And again. A man remains unbroken by the savage twists of fate.
That man may never win. But when he sees himself reflected, he can be proud of what he sees. For low he may be in the present scheme of things: peasant, serf, or dispossessed. But he is unconquerable — David Gemmell

Hatred is like a plague. It is all-consuming, and it springs from man to man. — David Gemmell

We like to think of life as a constant ... Yet it can be ended in a heartbeat. — David Gemmell

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. — David Gemmell

War is the enemy of civilization. We cannot grow through war, Xander. It drags us down, filling our hearts with hatred and thoughts of revenge. — David Gemmell

We all of us carry the seed of evil in our hearts and souls," she told him. "Even the purest, even the most holy. It is part of the human condition, born into us. We cannot root it out. All we can do - at best - is prevent it from germinating. — David Gemmell

Why must I have the Piglet?' 'Because you are the best.' 'I do not understand.' 'Teach him.' 'And who teaches me?' ' As an officer, my lord, you will have many men under your command and not all will be gifted. You must learn to use each man to his best advantage ... — David Gemmell

We ought to call it something,' said Banokles thoughtfully. 'We can't just keep calling it "that big bastard horse". It ought to have a name.' 'What do you suggest?' - 'Arse Face. — David Gemmell

Plan for the worst, expect the best. — David Gemmell

It's a funny thing about weaknesses ... Most people will tell you they know their weaknesses. When asked, they'll tell you, 'Well for one thing, I'm overgenerous.' ... that's what innkeepers are for. — David Gemmell

Your men are brave men, And you have won. I can live with that, Earl of Bronze a poor man would I be if I could not. — David Gemmell

Do not speak badly of yourself, for the warrior that is inside you hears your words and is lessened by them. — David Gemmell

Fear is good, for it makes us cautious and aids survival. Not so with terror. It is like slow poison, paralyzing the limbs and blurring the mind ... Never, when in danger, ask yourself, What will they do to me? Instead think, What can I do to prevent them? — David Gemmell

The truth? What the Hell is the truth? We're born, we live and we die. Everything else is just shades of opinion. — David Gemmell

Do not complain of life's unfairness. It is never fair - at best it is impartial. — David Gemmell

Be at peace, my friend. One thing I have learnt about Death is that his bark is worse than his bite. — David Gemmell

Only a fool loves war," said Calvar, "or a man who has never seen it. The trouble is that the survivors forget about the horrors and remember only the battle lust. They pass on that memory, and other men hunger for it. — David Gemmell

A man takes what the gods thrust upon him. — David Gemmell

Trust your instincts, and make judgements on what your heart tells you. The heart will not betray you. — David Gemmell

In any broth, the scum [politicians] always rises to the top. — David Gemmell

Would ride into fire. For Odysseus that whip was pride. — David Gemmell

How simple love would be, Younger Brother, if we only had to bestow it on those who deserved it. Yet what would it be worth? If you gave a poor man a silver coin then that would be a gift. If you expected him to pay you back, then that would make it a loan. We do not loan our love, Lantern. We give it freely. — David Gemmell

Never be glad that another man has died. Not ever . [ ... ] It never ends. Never ... ever ... be glad to kill. — David Gemmell

There is evil in all of us, and it is the mark of a man how he defies the evil within. — David Gemmell

But men don't come in just two groups, one of gold and the other of lead. They are a mix of both." "And what about women?" "Pure gold, my girl," Rayvan answered with a chuckle. — David Gemmell

Not one of the creatures of blood can escape death. We all face it, and succumb to it. It follows us like a dark shadow. Yet if we live in terror of it, then we do not live at all. Yes we are born alone, and yes we will die alone. But in between, Tae, we live. We know joy. — David Gemmell