Quotes from Legend

David Gemmell ·  345 pages

Rating: (22.3K votes)


“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, quote from Legend


“By nature of definition only the coward is capable of the highest
heroism”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend


“A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend


“Why now? Why not? Live or die, a man and a woman need love. There is a need in the race. We need to share. To belong. Perhaps you will die before the year is out. But remember this: to have may be taken from you, to have had never. Far better to have tasted love before dying, than to die alone.”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend


“Never violate a woman, nor harm a child. Do not lie, cheat or steal. These things are for lesser men. Protect the weak against the evil strong. And never allow thoughts of gain to lead you into the pursuit of evil. Never back away from an enemy. Either fight or surrender. It is not enough to say I will not be evil. Evil must be fought wherever it is found.”The Iron Code”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend



“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, quote from Legend


“Today I could like anybody," said Rek, smiling. "The sky is clear, the wind is fresh, and life tastes very fine. 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, quote from Legend


“I shall die soon ... Here at this Dros. And what will I have achieved in my life? I have no sons nor daughters. No living kin... Few friends. They will say, 'Here lies Druss. He killed many and birthed none'."
"They will say more than that," said Virae suddenly. "They'll say, 'Here lies Druss the Legend, who was never mean, petty nor needlessly cruel. Here was a man who never gave in, never compromised his ideals, never betrayed a friend, never despoiled a woman and never used his strength against the weak.' They'll say 'He had no sons, but many a woman asleep with her babes slept more soundly for knowing Druss stood with the Drenai.' They'll say many things, whitebeard. Through many generations they will say them, and men with no strength will find strength when they hear them."
"That would be pleasant," said the old man, smiling.”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend


“Get rid of your doubts. Yesterday is dead. Past mistakes are like smoke in the breeze.”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend


“All things that live must die. Man alone it seems lives all his life in the knowledge of death. And yet there is more to life than merely waiting for death. For life to have meaning, there must be a purpose. A man must pass something on – otherwise he is useless. For most men, that purpose revolves around marriage and children who will carry on his seed. For others it is an ideal – a dream, if you like. Each of us here believes in a concept of honor: that it is a man’s duty to do that which is right and just; that might alone is not enough. We have all transgressed at some time. We have stolen, lied, cheated – even killed – for our own ends. But ultimately we return to our beliefs. We judge ourselves more harshly than others can judge us. We know that death is preferable to betrayal of that which we hold dear.”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend



“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, quote from Legend


“In any broth, the scum [politicians] always rises to the top.”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend


“My dear Hogun, when a woman is beautiful, she comes to expect a certain—how shall I say?—a certain reverence from men. You should have had the good grace to be thunderstruck by her beauty. Stunned into silence or, better still, into a babbling fool. Then she would have merely ignored you and answered your devotion with arrogant disdain. Now you have slighted her, and she will hate you. Worse than this, she will do all in her power to win your heart.” “I don’t think that makes a great deal of sense. Why should she try to win my heart if she hates me?” “So that she can be in a position to treat you with disdain. Do you know nothing about women?”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend


“A problem shared is a problem doubled,”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend


“War.
Such a little word, such a depth of agony. Blood, death, conquest, starvation, plague, and horror.”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend



“I have found in my life, Rek, that there are a few actions which are unforgivable. And certainly there are no words said that carry such a penalty. It is a man’s lot, I fear, to strike out when he has suffered hurt.”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend


“A man needs many things in his life to make it bearable. A good woman. Sons and daughters. Comradeship. Warmth. Food and shelter. But above all these things, he needs to be able to know that he is a man.”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend


“We study," said Serbitar. "And we train, and we plant flowers and raise horses. Our time is well occupied, I can assure you."

"No wonder you want to go away and die somewhere," said Rek with feeling.”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend


“Paunch? I've a curved spine. Anyway, It's relaxed muscle." He looked down. "All right, it's a paunch. A few more days of this and it will go.”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend


“Man alone, it seems, lives all his life in the knowledge of death. And yet there is more to life than merely waiting for death. For life to have meaning, there must be a purpose. A man must pass something on—otherwise he is useless. “For most men that purpose revolves around marriage and children”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend



“Live or die, a man and a woman need love. There is a need in the race. We need to share. To belong.”
― David Gemmell, quote from Legend


About the author

David Gemmell
Born place: in London, England, The United Kingdom
Born date August 1, 1948
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Popular quotes

“There are so many impatient people in the world. It seems everyone wants something right this second. We don't want to wait in lines, we get fidgety when our food takes too long to cook, and we have no tolerance whatsoever for anyone who holds us up from doing anything we want to do the moment we want to do it. I'm bothered right now that I'm having to wait till the end of this sentence to see what word I end up on. On, who knew? It's particularly hard to wait for things that are days or weeks or even months away. Calendars mock you, clocks pester you, and the rotation of the earth seems to slow by at least forty percent. I suppose, however, that if you were preparing to take over the world and you needed one final piece to fall into place, but that piece had to be slowly dragged over the dirt so it didn't die, that would be really hard to wait for. I'd feel sorry for whoever that happened to, but then again they were trying to take over the world and all.
So please, no sympathy for Azure.”
― Obert Skye, quote from Leven Thumps and the Wrath of Ezra


“Stop.”

“You don’t want me to stop, you stupid, stubborn bastard.” Edgard snarled and devoured Trevor’s mouth in another possessive, bruising kiss.

Before Trevor could break free from the temptation, a distressed gasp somewhere to the left speeded up the process. Trevor shoved Edgard away. He spun so fast he lost his balance. But the damage had been done.

Chassie stood in the shadows in absolute shock.

Chapter Seven

Not happening. Not happening. Not happening.

Her body, her will, her consciousness appeared to be floating in another dimension, as this one shifted and twisted into the surreal. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

Not happening. Not happening. Not happening.

She had not witnessed her husband in the arms of another man. She had not seen him kissing another man like he was everything in his world. She had not heard the details of how they’d been together, what they’d been together. She had not imagined how badly they wanted to be together now.

Not happening. Not happening. Not happening.

The mantra she’d used during her childhood to vanquish nightmares wasn’t working this time.”
― Lorelei James, quote from Rough, Raw, and Ready


“But we can't see or feel God, Emma, so how can you feel his love? I need more than prayers to a God I can't touch, see, or hear - I want to hear words of love, see kind actions, feel hugs and kisses...

We all do, because yes, we're human beings. But we were made in God's image. ... Which means, Casey, like Father, like daughter. You want to be loved? So does he. You want to be touched? So does he. You want to feel the rush of a kiss or a warmth of a hug? ... So does he, Casey. Which is why I rushed to him when Rory hurt me and my family betrayed me. And you know what? I found a God whose arms were open wide and whose heart leapt with joy when I called his name. As protective as a mother and as jealous as a lover, this was a God who wanted me for his very own. Me - Emma Mallory! To touch, to bless, to fill with his pleasure. ... Until I overflow, spilling his love on all those around me - treasured possessions of a passionate God.”
― Julie Lessman, quote from A Heart Revealed


“And then we were all lifted and hurled away from there, down back the way we had come, around a bend, into a darkway we had never explored, over terrain that was ruined and filled with broken glass and rotting cables and rusted metal and far away further than any of us had ever been”
― Harlan Ellison, quote from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream


“The point is to face the fears that are going to be thrown at you, face them, and defeat them because the greatest fears are the ones your mind creates. Those are the only fears that can truly have power over you. Don’t let them.”
― Quinn Loftis, quote from Fate and Fury


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