Bones of the Hills Quotes

“We are nothing but the oath we give.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“When I am gone, I do not want men to say Look at his piles of wealth, his cities, his palaces and fine clothes.” Genghis paused for a moment. “Instead I want them to say Make sure he is truly dead. He is a vicious old man and he conquered half the world.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“Know the enemy and you will know how to kill him.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“We are not here to earn riches with a bow. The wolf does not think of fine things, only that his pack is strong and no other wolf dares to cross his path. That is enough.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“A man should always care about pleasing his wife.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“The point of war is to win, Kachiun. It does not matter how we do it, or how long it takes.”
― Conn Iggulden, Genghis: Bones of the Hills

“Be careful of raising me too high, brother. I have no special strength, unless it is in choosing good men to follow me. The great lie of cities is that we are all too weak to stand against those who oppress us. All I have done is see through that lie. I always fight, Kachiun. Kings and shahs depend on people remaining sheep, too afraid to rise up. All I ever did was realize I can be a wolf to them.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“All men die,” Jelme went on, ignoring the outburst. “It could be tonight, next year, or in forty years, when you are toothless and weak. All you can do is choose how you stand when it comes.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“The eyes showed the soul and they were always hardest to mask.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“...holding to rage is like holding a piece of glowing coal. It burns only him.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“It does not matter what others think of how I lived my life. It does not matter if we go down in Temuge’s histories as tyrants or even cowards. All that matters is what we do now. We are our only judges, Kachiun. Remember that. Those who come after will have other trials, other battles to worry about.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“All men die, Genghis. All. Think what it means for a moment. None of us are remembered for more than one or two generations." He raised a hand as Genghis opened his mouth to speak again. "Oh, I know we chant the names of great khans by the fireside and the Chin have libraries running back for thousands of years. What of it? Do you think it matters to the dead that their names are read aloud? They don’t care, Genghis. They are gone. The only thing that matters is what they did while they were alive.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“All information can be bought, my son, if you are willing to pay the price.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“The suffering of my enemies will be a feast to the spirits. When I am old, I will remember the tears they have shed and it will ease my bones.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“He wanted his enemies proud and strong, so that he could cast them further down in his vengeance.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“The eyes show the soul and they are the hardest to conceal.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“This is a hard land and the people are used to death. If I am to rule them, they must know that to face me is to be destroyed. They must be afraid, Chakahai. It is the only way.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“Genghis snorted. “Men always die in war. Their kings expect it. I want them to know that if they resist me, they are putting their hand in the mouth of a wolf. They will lose everything and they can expect no mercy.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“He did not fear such enemies, nor a dozen armies like them. He was khan of the sea of grass and they were just city men, soft and fat for all their bluster and sharp swords. He would cut them down.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“His generals were ready; his sons were. It remained to be seen whether the Arab nations were ready to meet them in war. In their arrogance, they had invited annihilation.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“After tonight, we will be with the spirits and see the hills of home,” he called to them. “The khan will hear. He will sweep this land clean.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“The two generals rode together down the slope to the valley, comfortable in each other’s presence. “I have been giving thought to a name for my tuman,” Jochi said. Jebe looked at him, raising his eyebrows. “Tsubodai has his Young Wolves and it has a better ring than ‘Jochi’s warriors’ or ‘Jebe’s tuman,’ don’t you think?” Jebe had witnessed this strange young man standing his ground when a tiger leapt at him. The striped skin lay under Jochi’s saddle and Jebe was uncomfortably aware of the rotting bearskin he sat upon. Jochi did not seem to have noticed it. “Are you thinking of tigers or something of that sort?” Jebe said warily. “Oh no, it doesn’t have to be an animal,” Jochi said, and then he did glance at the bearskin. Jebe felt his cheeks flush and chuckled again. He liked this khan’s son, no matter what was said of him in the camps. Whether he was truly Genghis’s son or not, Jebe relaxed. He sensed none of the blustering arrogance he had seen in Chagatai, and it pleased him. They had ridden down to where Jochi’s men waited in perfect squares. Jebe inclined his head to the officers, giving them honor in front of their men. “They look dangerous enough,” Jebe said. “What about the ‘Iron Lance’?” “Iron Lance,” Jochi repeated, testing the sound. “I like ‘Iron,’ but I have too few lances to make the name work. It wouldn’t seem right to make them retrain to fit the name.” “ ‘Iron Horse’ then,” Jebe replied, caught up in the game. “They all have mounts, at least.” Jochi reined in. “I like that! Tsubodai has the Young Wolves. I have the Iron Horse. Yes, it is very stirring.” He smiled as he spoke and suddenly both men were laughing, to the confusion of the officers around them. “How did you know we were coming?” Jebe asked. “I smelled that bearskin,” Jochi replied, setting them both off again.”
― Conn Iggulden, Genghis: Bones of the Hills

“When I am gone, I do not want men to say ‘Look at his piles of wealth, his cities, his palaces and fine clothes.’ ” Genghis paused for a moment. “Instead I want them to say ‘Make sure he is truly dead. He is a vicious old man and he conquered half the world.’ ” He chuckled at the idea and some of the tension went out of the group. “We are not here to earn riches with a bow. The wolf does not think of fine things, only that his pack is strong and no other wolf dares to cross his path. That is enough.”
― Conn Iggulden, Genghis: Bones of the Hills

“We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. —GEORGE ORWELL”
― Conn Iggulden, Genghis: Bones of the Hills

“How you raise your sons and daughters matters. The wife who warms you at night matters. The joy you take in being alive, the pleasure of strong drink, companionship and stories. All that matters, but when you are dust, other men go on without you.”
― Conn Iggulden, Genghis: Bones of the Hills

“All men die, Genghis. All. Think what it means for a moment. None of us are remembered for more than one or two generations.”
― Conn Iggulden, Genghis: Bones of the Hills

“But I came to these lands because, when a man threatens me and I look away, he has taken something important from me. If I fight and die, all he can take is my life. My courage, my dignity, remain.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“I thought a man could throw his best years against enemies and then die, feared and loved both. I still think that. But when I am gone, the cities will rebuild and they will not remember me.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“Fight for every breath and every step.”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills

“A wolf doesn't think about refined thing. He only cares that his pack is strong and that no other wolf dares to cross his way”
― Conn Iggulden, Bones of the Hills