War of the Wolf Quotes

“Christians like to dream of the perfect world, a place where there is no fighting, where sword-blades are hammered into plowshares, and where the lion, whatever that is, sleeps with the lamb. It is a dream. There has always been war and there will always be war. So long as one man wants another man’s wife, or another man’s land, or another man’s cattle, or another man’s silver, so long will there be war. And so long as one priest preaches that his god is the only god or the better god there will be war.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“Truth is ever feeble against passionate falsehood.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“Wyrd bið ful āræd.”
― bernard cornwell, War of the Wolf

“The gods are not kind to us, any more than children are kind to their toys. We are here to amuse the gods, and at times it amuses them to be unkind.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“if a man believes the nonsense that there is only one god then there’s no point in arguing because it would be like discussing a rainbow with a blind man.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“We live by oaths and we can die by them. To give an oath is to harness a life to a promise, and to break an oath is to tempt the punishment of the gods.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“We make oaths, we make choices, but fate makes our decisions.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“I suspect most copies were used to wipe arses or light fires.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“Wyrd bið ful āræd,” I said, and that is true. Fate is inexorable. Destiny is all. We make oaths, we make choices, but fate makes our decisions.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“It’s a cruel world, Mus,’ I said, using her old nickname, ‘and you have to hope the warriors defending you are just as cruel as your enemies.’ ‘Are you cruel, lord?’ ‘I’m good at war,’ I told her, ‘and war is cruel.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“sloughing off Christianity like a snake shedding its skin.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“the rumour was believed because truth is ever feeble against passionate falsehood.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“and the rumor was believed because truth is ever feeble against passionate falsehood.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“Now, old and gray-bearded, I still admire the Romans. How could I not? We could not build an arena, nor make ramparts like those that surrounded Ceaster. Our roads were muddy tracks, theirs were stone-edged and spear-straight. They built temples of marble, we made churches of timber. Our floors were beaten earth and rushes, theirs were marvels of intricate tilework. They had laced the land with wonders, and we, who had taken the land, could only watch the wonders decay, or patch them with wattle and thatch. True, they were a cruel people, but so are we. Life is cruel.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“Bravery is overcoming fear,” I said, “and I don’t know how you do that. Duty helps a little, experience, of course, and not letting down your comrades helps a lot, but really bravery is a kind of madness.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“You fatten the goose before you kill it.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“Los dioses no velan por nosotros, no más desde luego de lo que los niños cuidan de sus juguetes. Si estamos aquí, es sólo para procurarles buenos ratos; a veces, hasta se complacen en jugarnos jugarretas.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“Reputation! It is the one thing that outlives us. Men die, women die, all die, but reputation lives on like the echo of a song, and men crave reputation, as they crave the heavy arm rings that mark a warrior's victories.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“Henbane,”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“So long as one man wants another man’s wife, or another man’s land, or another man’s cattle, or another man’s silver, so long will there be war. And so long as one priest preaches that his god is the only god or the better god there will be war.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“You’ve got dirt on your forehead,” I said, “so has he,” I pointed to the other priest. “Because it’s Good Friday, lord. The day our Lord died.” “Is that why they call it good?”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“You are sheep, they are wolves. Your blood will soak the hillsides, your skin will make saddles, your flesh will feed pigs!”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“So long as there is war there will be warlords. Leaders. What makes a man follow a leader? Success. A warrior wants victory, he wants silver, he wants land, and he looks to his lords for all those things.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“They have no idea we're here. And stupidity gets you killed.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf

“But that was a notion as wispy as the high thin clouds that were being driven away by a brisk wind, and behind those wispy clouds was a wall of dark, tumultuous cloud that promised snow.”
― Bernard Cornwell, War of the Wolf