David Gemmel

Come back and stand with us, lad. We will all go down together—that's what makes us who we are.

I am not a hero; I am a soldier. When the battle is lost, I retreat and regroup; when the war is over, I lay down my sword. No last dashing charge; no futile last stand!

All things are possible, ... Except the passing of regret.

A man makes mistakes, but he lives by them. Foolish it may be on occasion. But in the main it is the only way to live. We are what we say only so long as our words are iron.

Life is nothing unless death has been faced down.

“I understand why some men become soldiers: to protect the nation and all that. But a whole race of people living to be soldiers seems … unhealthy. Does that sound right?”“Indeed it sounds right. But the northern steppes make poor farmland. Mainly they breed goats and ponies. Any luxuries they desire, they must steal.”

[H]e who fears to lose will never win.

When your life has been spent in one war after another for forty-five years, you have to be pretty handy to survive.

Be at peace, my friend. One thing I have learnt about Death is that his bark is worse than his bite.

A man must know his limitations.

Each man has a breaking point, no matter how strong his spirit. Somewhere, deep inside him, there is a flaw that only the fickle cruelty of fate can find.

You may think life is sweet now, but when death is a heartbeat away then life becomes unbearably desirable. And when you survive, everything you do will be enhanced and filled with greater joy: the sunlight, the breeze, a good wine, a woman's lips, a child's laughter.