Quotes from Captain Alatriste

“No era el hombre más honesto ni el más piadoso, pero era un hombre valiente.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“It was one of Diego Alatriste's virtues that he could make friends in Hell.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“The men buckled on their weapons and started outside amid high expectations, taking care not to leave their backs unguarded -- just in case -- for Jesus may have said something about brothers, but he made no mention of cousins.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“—Así podrá instruirse y estudiar leyes para sangrar de su último maravedí a los pleiteantes; como hacen vuestras mercedes los abogados, escribanos y otras gentes de mal vivir.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“Imaginad el cuadro: sería vuestra merced tan amable de venir a la luz y destocarse, caballero, gracias, veo que sois el más rubio, permitid que os introduzca una cuarta de acero toledano en los higadillos.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“A ese tiempo infame lo llaman siglo de Oro. Mas lo cierto es que, quienes lo vivimos y sufrimos, de oro vimos poco; y de plata, la justa. Sacrificio estéril, gloriosas derrotas, corrupción, picaresca, miseria y poca vergüenza, de eso sí que tuvimos a espuertas. Lo que pasa es que luego uno va y mira un cuadro de Diego Velázquez, oye unos versos de Lope o de Calderón, lee un soneto de don Francisco de Quevedo, y se dice que bueno, que tal vez mereció la pena.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“Una de aquellas sonrisas hechas de esa lucidez y esa mirada penetrante que en las mujeres constituye exclusivo patrimonio; fruto de siglos y siglos de ver, en silencio, a los hombres cometiendo toda suerte de estupideces”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“El capitán, seguro de no resistir mucho rato frente a cinco hombres armados y diestros en el oficio, decidió no andarse con lindezas de esgrima, y en vez de curar su salud procuró desbaratar la de sus enemigos.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“Quizás los malvados se cansan tanto como los corazones leales, pensé un instante. A fin de cuentas, nadie elige su destino.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“viva España y demás, y angelitos al cielo o a donde tocara ir.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“—Una cosa es una cosa, y otra cosa es otra cosa.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“que tú haría un viaje largo, muy lejos... Y sepas lo que sepas, no lo cuentes ni bajo confesión. Si de esto se entera un cura, cuelga los hábitos, vende el secreto y se hace rico.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“Mantenerse vivo, descubrí durante esos días, da muchas más fatigas que dejarse morir,”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“por mucho que nuble, la sombra siempre termina despuntando cosida a los pies de uno. Y nadie puede escapar de su propia sombra.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“Tal vez su condición de viejo soldado —había peleado en Flandes y el Mediterráneo tras escapar de la escuela para alistarse como paje y tambor a los trece años— dejó impresa en él aquella manera tan suya de encajar el riesgo, los malos tragos, las incertidumbres y sinsabores de una vida bronca, difícil, con el estoicismo de quien se acostumbra a no esperar otra cosa.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“No quedaba más remedio que jugar la partida con las nueve cartas que el burlón destino acababa de ponerle en las manos, aunque éstas fueran pésimas.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“Cuerpo a cuerpo he de matalle donde Sevilla lo vea, en la plaza o en la calle; que al que mata y no pelea nadie puede disculpalle; y gana más el que muere a traición, que el que le mata.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“Cualquier hombre cabal puede escoger la forma y el lugar donde morir, pero nadie elige las cosas que recuerda.

Capitán Alatriste”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“—¿Tanta importancia dais al valor? —A veces es lo único que queda —respondió con sencillez el capitán—. Sobre todo en tiempos como éstos, cuando hasta las banderas y el nombre de Dios sirven para hacer negocio.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“establecimientos públicos de moral relajada o equívoca, que en aquella España paradójica, singular e irrepetible, se veían tan frecuentados como las iglesias, y a menudo por la misma gente.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“En aquel tiempo, cualquier cosa (...) podía ser comprada con dinero; hasta las conciencias. Tampoco es que hayamos cambiado mucho desde entonces.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

“A fin de cuentas, se consoló, por mucho que duela y tardes en morir, al final siempre te mueres. Y quien muere, descansa.”
― Arturo Pérez-Reverte, quote from Captain Alatriste

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Popular quotes

“I'm not saying I'm glad it happened. Not exactly. But I'm not sorry to be the person I am today, and to have the life I have now. Even though it's not what I thought I wanted for my future, a year ago, it is what I want now. ...”
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“I spoke your true name. It's not what I thought it would be. And I don't feel easy about it. As if I'd left something unfinished. But it is your name. If it betrays you, then that's the truth of it."
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― Ursula K. Le Guin, quote from Tales from Earthsea

“I cannot understand anti-abortion arguments that centre on the sanctity of life. As a species we've fairly comprehensively demonstrated that we don't believe in the sanctity of life. The shrugging acceptance of war, famine, epidemic, pain and life-long poverty shows us that, whatever we tell ourselves, we've made only the most feeble of efforts to really treat human life as sacred.”
― Caitlin Moran, quote from How to Be a Woman

“Because I sincerely hate and despise them. Not pity them, no—only hate and despise. I can justify the stupidity and brutality of the kid I just passed all I want— the social conditions, the appalling upbringing, anything at all—but I now clearly see that he’s my enemy, the enemy of all that I love, the enemy of my friends, the enemy of what I hold most sacred. And I don’t hate him theoretically, as a “typical specimen,” but him as himself, him as an individual. I hate his slobbering mug, the stink of his unwashed body, his blind faith, his animosity toward everything other than sex and booze. There he goes, stomping around, the oaf, who half a year ago was still being thrashed by a fat-bellied father in a vain attempt to prepare him for selling stale flour and old jam; he’s wheezing, the dumb lug, struggling to recall the paragraphs of badly crammed regulations, and he just can’t figure out whether he’s supposed to cut the noble don down with his ax, shout “Stop!” or just forget about it. No one will find out anyway, so he’ll forget about it, go back to his recess, stuff some chewing bark into his mouth and chew it loudly, drooling and smacking his lips. And there’s nothing that he wants to know, and there’s nothing he wants to think about.”
― Arkady Strugatsky, quote from Hard to Be a God

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BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

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