Soldiers are issued armour for their flesh and bones, but they must fashion their own for their souls. Piece by piece.

Fear bespeaks of wisdom. Recognition of responsibility.

He was not a modest man. Contemplating suicide, he summoned a dragon.' Gothos' Folly

I warn you all, hatred is finding fertile soil within me. And in your compassion, in your every good intention, you nurture it.

And over it all, the butterflies swarmed, like a million yellow-pettalled flowers dancing on swirling winds.

I was needed, but I myself did not need. I had followers, but not allies, and only now do I understand the difference. And it is vast.

With the Black Company series Glen Cook single-handedly changed the face of fantasy—something a lot of people didn’t notice and maybe still don’t. He brought the story down to a human level, dispensing with the cliché archetypes of princes, kings, and evil sorcerers. Reading his stuff was like reading Vietnam War fiction on peyote.