A Pillar of Iron Quotes

“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron

“Wicked men are born every generation, and it is the duty of a nation to render them impotent. When you discover a man who seeks power for himself, out of hatred or contempt for his fellows, destroy him,”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

“Man and the State. Always must they be enemies, for men had been given freedom by God and the State hated God, and loathed men and everlastingly fought against the rights of men. The liberty of the individual defied the luxury and the privileges of those who deemed themselves greater and wiser than their fellows, and wished to enslave their brothers. The”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

“My lords, let us consider just law. Does it bring tranquillity, good order, piety, justice and liberty and prosperity to a people? Does it nourish patriotism and the way of a manly and upright life? Then it is a good law, and deserves our utter obedience. “But if it brings pain, intolerable burdens, injustice, sleepless anxiety and fear and slavery to a people, then it is an evil law passed and upheld by evil men, who hate humanity and wish to subjugate and control it.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

“A government rarely represents the people! Love of country is often confused in simple minds with love of one’s government. They are rarely one; they are not synonymous. Yet,” he added, mournfully, “the evil men in government are compelled to show a public face of sympathy for the oppressed and must pretend, at all times, to be one with them, seeking to rectify the very wrong they have secretly committed.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

“Were Cicero alive in the America of today he would be aghast and appalled. He would find it so familiar.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

“An evil man was more bearable to the majority of men than a good man, who was a constant reproach and therefore to be despised.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

“But the day of the dictator is almost upon us again, not the dictator of old, but the dictator who wishes illimitable power, prolonged power, over Rome. Rome is not what once she was. We are fast approaching the day when Rome will not be swayed by the temperate middle-class but by the rich, who will preside over whining and bottomless bellies, and slaves. Each serves the other, satisfies the other’s appetite, in an evil symbiosis. For the rabble’s votes the powerful man will betray Rome.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

“Al hombre verdadero se le conoce porque domina sus apetitos. Se caracteriza por su devoción hacia su familia y los intereses familiares y no se irrita fácilmente, honra el dinero, porque representa al trabajo que confiere honores a su poseedor; rechaza todas las cosas que puedan perjudicar a su país, a sus dioses, a su familia. Tiene paciencia infinita y mucha calma, siempre concluye los asuntos de modo satisfactorio y es bueno consigo mismo y con los suyos. Es buen esposo. cuidadoso en todas sus cosas con aguante para os sufrimientos e indiferente al dolor. Nunca se desilusiona porque jamás se deja llevar por falsas fantasías y sueños imposibles. Cumple con su deber, sobre todo cumple con su deber, con prudencia y tras larga reflexión.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron

“Like many men of deep humor, he made the error of believing that every man was also endowed with it. So, when he sometimes ventured a wry or jocular remark to some acquaintance, to lift the sombreness of these days, the remark was repeated eagerly as an evidence of his hard-heartedness or frivolity or even foolishness.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

“What is it that Aristotle said: ‘Republics decline into democracies, and democracies degenerate into despotisms.’ We have approached that day.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

“With the help of God I shall be kinder than my brother, and shall strive for virtue. It is my duty to aspire above my human nature.’”*”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

“The gods have said, and the Greeks also, that when a man wishes to evade his duties he can summon any illness to assist him,”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

“All virtuous and patriotic men have some madness in them, for it is normal for men to be wicked and to be traitors.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

“«Si alguien se siente desgraciado, que recuerde que se siente infeliz por él mismo; porque Dios ha creado a todos los hombres para que gocen de la felicidad y de su constancia”
― Taylor Caldwell, La columna de hierro

“¡Sin contar con Dios no pongas tu mano en nada!».”
― Taylor Caldwell, La columna de hierro

“los hombres se convierten muy a menudo en esclavos de lo inmediato.”
― Taylor Caldwell, La columna de hierro

“–El conocer a Dios produce un gozo inefable, pero también causa dolor. Cuando contemplo la belleza del mundo que Él ha creado, me siento embargado de tristeza porque a mí, hombre mortal, me es imposible retener ese momento de exaltación y pleno conocimiento.”
― Taylor Caldwell, La columna de hierro

“Pero hay un honor y un valor más grandes, que son el servicio a Dios y a la patria,”
― Taylor Caldwell, La columna de hierro

“If the middle-class has any function at all it is to work to provide us with taxes, with which we can bribe the mobs of Rome and keep them contented and docile.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

“Lloro mi perdida juventud, mis esperanzas y mis sueños, el espectro de una promesa muerta, los años enguirnaldados en los que yo creí que la vida tenía algún significado. ¿Cómo pueden soportar los otros hombres esta carga?”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron

“Los hijos de las tinieblas no se sentían acosados por su conciencia y por lo tanto, podían gozar alegremente de la vida. Los hijos de la luz en cambio, tenían la expresión seria y vivían apenados porque en el mundo reinaba el mal.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron

“El hombre siempre tuvo una mente torcida y se pregunta mil porqués, dándose mil respuestas.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron

“Los hijos deben ser advertidos de la condición de sus semejantes, si no se quiere que mueran en cuerpo o en alma. Los judíos tienen razón cuando declaran que el hombre nace ya pervertido. Sabiendo esto, los niños podrán decirse a sí mismos: "Con la ayuda de Dios trataré de ser mejor que mis hermanos y me esforzaré en alcanzar la virtud. Es mi deber tratar de superar mi naturaleza humana".”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron

“Es una equivocación educar a los niños tan sólo en el ambiente familiar, rodeados de cariño afectuoso, sin hacerles saber que al otro lado de los seguros muros de su hogar hay un mundo de hombres impíos, deshonestos y amorales, y que tales hombres constituyen la mayoría.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron

“¿Cómo podría recobrar la seguridad y el aplomo de mi juventud? El mundo es demasiado para nosotros. No sólo destruye nuestra juventud, sino nuestra certidumbre.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron

“Por su hombría está obligado a ser sano de cuerpo, prudente, lleno de entereza, honrado, orgulloso de sí mismo, intrépido, digno de sus antepasados y de su historia, paciente en la adversidad, intolerante con la debilidad de carácter, ascético, frugal y valeroso. Debe ser magnánimo y celoso de su honor, porque el hombre sin honor es lo más bajo que hay y se debe temer más al cobarde que al perverso.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron

“El hombre verdadero se aparta de la chusma vociferante que pulula por los mercados que aclama constantemente y luego es la primera en denunciar.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron

“Se dice que un león, cuando ha probado la sangre y la carne humana, ya no quiere comer otra cosa.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron

“Um
dia, ele disse ao pequeno Marco que a semente da uva era a profecia da vinha,
das próprias uvas, e finalmente do vinho que daria prazer e alívio à alma,
inspirando-a com uma sabedoria além da que podería conhecer um homem
abstêmio e sóbrio.”
― Taylor Caldwell, A Pillar of Iron