All your life spent getting ready for the next thing. I climbed a lot of hills now. I crossed a lot of rivers. Crossed the sea even, left everything I knew and came to Styria. But there I was, waiting for me at the docks when I got off the boat, same man, same life. Next valley ain't no different from this one. No better anyway. Reckon I've learned ... just to stick in the place I'm at. Just to be the man I am.
Joe AbercrombieIt's hard to stay calm when you're terrified, helpless, alone, at the mercy of men with no mercy at all.
Joe AbercrombieChose? If you believe that I chose any part of the pitiful shadow of a life you see before you, you are very much mistaken. I chose glory and success. The box did not contain what was written on the lid.
Joe AbercrombieNames turned over by time, like the plough turning the soil. Bringing up the new while the old were buried in the mud.
Joe AbercrombieThings aren't what they used to be' is the rallying cry of small minds. When men say things used to be better, they invariably mean they were better for them, because they were young, and had all their hopes intact. The world is bound to look a darker place as you slide into the grave.
Joe Abercrombie