David Gemmell on War
Browse 14 quotations attributed to David Gemmell, catalogued under war, with dates where available.
This page displays 14 quotations attributed to David Gemmell and filed under "war" in QuoteLineage. The selection is ordered by stored importance and quality scores, not citation counts. A topic label describes how an entry is catalogued; it does not establish the theme's importance in the author's work.
Attributed to David Gemmell, entry #214289: "Most wars are fought for greed, but we are luckier here—we fight for our lives and the lives of the people we love."
Attributed to David Gemmell, entry #60008: "War. What was it about the prospect of some bloody enterprises that reduced men to the level of animals?"
14 Quotes by David Gemmell on War
"Most wars are fought for greed, but we are luckier here—we fight for our lives and the lives of the people we love."
"War. What was it about the prospect of some bloody enterprises that reduced men to the level of animals?"
"All men have talents. Some build, some paint, some write, some fight. For me it is different."
"No matter how impossible this war, I shall fight to win. Whatever I have to do, I will do."
"It would be a fine thing if war could be conducted as a game where no lives were lost. At the end of a battle combatants could meet and drink and talk."
"In real war an officer may have only one chance at succeeding. Consider each problem."
"Evil lives in a pit. If you want to fight it, you must climb down into the slime to do so. White cloaks show the dirt more thank black, and silver tarnishes."
"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!"
"Only a fool loves war. 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."
"A man can be aroused to anger as easily as he is aroused to rut. The two emotions are closely linked. Anger and lust. So the warrior is aroused in battle and fights to dominate."
"While men compete in war, there will be warriors. While there are warriors, there will be princes among warriors. Among the princes will be kings, and among the kings an emperor."
"Gentlemen, you are in sorry condition. But war will render you yet more sorry. The soldier will fight in mud and hail, snow and ice, drought and flood. It is rare that a warrior gets to fight in comfort."
"War is for men, for honor and glory."
"We are closest to life when we are vying with death ... The blood runs hot, the air smells sweet, the sky becomes an unbearably beautiful blue. Battle is intoxicating. That is why the ghastly vileness of war has always been so popular."