Quotes by David Gemmell

About David Gemmell:

David Andrew Gemmell was a bestselling British author of heroic fantasy. A former journalist and newspaper editor, Gemmell had his first work of fiction published in 1984. He went on to write over thirty novels. Best known for his debut, Legend, Gemmell's works display violence, yet also explore themes of honour, loyalty and redemption. With over one million copies sold, his work continues to sell worldwide.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

You are a Chosen Man. You are Parmenion, the Death of Nations. A hundred thousand souls will you send to the dark river, screaming and wailing, lamenting their fate. It is right and just that you should know your choices.

David Gemmell

Do not complain of life's unfairness. It is never fair - at best it is impartial.

David Gemmell

Risks? I have lived with the prospect of assassination for years. What risks? All men die, rich and poor alike. But if I am to die, then let it be while I fight, not like some bullock in a pen waiting for the ax to fall.

David Gemmell

It is hard to be angry when one has seen the sun rise,' she said. It seems to be true,' he admitted. 'I wonder why.' Because it makes one feel so small and insignificant. It has been rising forever and will rise forever no matter what we do or do not...

David Gemmell

We are tiny flames, Helikaon, and we flicker alone in the great dark for no more than a heartbeat. When we strive for wealth, glory and fame, it is meaningless. The nations we fight for will one day cease to be. Even the mountains we gaze upon will c...

David Gemmell

There is a darkness in you. In all of us, probably. Beasts we keep chained. Ordinary men have to keep the chains strong, for if we let the beast loose then society will turn upon us with fiery vengeance. Kings though...well, who is there to turn upon...

David Gemmell

It seems to me, that you people spend a great deal of time talking about honour, but strip away the high sounding words and you are no different from any other race. Family? Has Priam not killed wayward sons? When a king dies do his sons not go to wa...

David Gemmell

Nothing of real worth can ever be bought. Love, friendship, honour, valour, respect. All these things have to be earned.

David Gemmell

I may be stupid, as you say, to believe in honour and friendship and loyalty without price. But these are virtues to be cherished, for without them we are no more than beasts roaming the land.

David Gemmell

How simple love would be, Younger Brother, if we only had to bestow it on those who deserved it. Yet what would it be worth? If you gave a poor man a silver coin then that would be a gift. If you expected him to pay you back, then that would make it ...

David Gemmell

What is your name?" Why?" So I can mark your grave...

David Gemmell

There is evil in all of us, and it is the mark of a man how he defies the evil within.

David Gemmell

This is the real magic of fantasy fiction: it can feed souls and change lives.

David Gemmell

Societies need heroes. So we travel to places where the revisionists cannot dismantle the great.

David Gemmell

Many fantasy novels - 'Lord of the Rings', for instance, or 'Lavondyss' by Robert Holdstock - are beautifully written. Geoff Ryman's 'The Child Garden' is exquisite and utterly beguiling. Mervyn Peake's 'Gormenghast' trilogy is an astonishing piece o...

David Gemmell

If you look at any ancient civilization, they've all used fantasy stories to train the young.

David Gemmell

Now the screams were awful to hear as men burned like candles all along the deck. Black smoke billowed over the sea. Argurios could not believe what he was watching. At least fifty helpless men were dying in agony. One man managed to free himself and...

David Gemmell

If there is one sound the follows the march of humanity, it is the scream.

David Gemmell

We make choices every day, some of them good, some of them bad. And if we are strong enough, we live with the consequences.

David Gemmell

The world would be a sadder place without stories.

David Gemmell

Author Bio

  • NameDavid Gemmell
  • DescriptionBritish author of heroic fantasy
  • AliasesDavid Andrew Gemmell; Ross Harding
  • BornAugust 1, 1948
  • DiedJuly 28, 2006
  • CountryUnited Kingdom
  • ProfessionWriter