β
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
β
β
Robert A. Heinlein
β
I am me, a unique individual who aspires to be happier than she already is.
β
β
L.C. Conn
β
Courage cannot be left like bones in a bag. It must be brought out and shown the light again and again, growing stronger each time. If you think it will keep for the times you need it, you are wrong. It is like any other part of your strength. If you ignore it, the bag will be empty when you need it most.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
Conn was a wickedly passionate, fiercely dominant man who loved her too much to ever really hurt her.
β
β
Joely Sue Burkhart (Take Me (The Connaghers, #2.5))
β
Isn't that... isn't that what friends do? They change our perspective on the world. Part of why we care about them is because we love that feeling. The feeling of being changed.
β
β
Marie Rutkoski (The Shadow Society (The Shadow Society, #1))
β
Forbidden fruit is always very intriguing...though never as tasty as one imagined it would be.
β
β
Claudy Conn (Runaway Heart)
β
Men respect the silent; they despise the garrulous. - Marius
β
β
Conn Iggulden (The Gates of Rome (Emperor, #1))
β
Your brother beat him almost to death, Temujin. He held him and kicked him until he cried like a child. He is afraid of you, so he hates you. It would be wrong to hurt him again. It would be like beating a dog after it has loosed it's bladder. The spirit is already broken in him.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
When youβre older, you will realise the only thing that matters, the only thing, is that you had courage and honour. Lose those things and you wonβt die any quicker, but youβll be less than the dirt on our boots. Youβll still be dust, but youβll have wasted your short time in the light.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Conqueror (Conqueror, #5))
β
I have a simple philosophy: Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Scratch where it itches." by Alice Roosevelt Longworth
β
β
Claudy Conn (Spellbound (Legend, #1))
β
No worthy goal should come easily, he told himself. Suffering created value.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Conqueror (Conqueror, #5))
β
I am the land, the bones of the hills," he said fiercely, "I am the winter. When I am dead, I will come for you all in the coldest nights.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
It's all you can say, when the end comes: 'I did not waste my time.' I think that matters. I think it may be all that matters.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Conqueror (Conqueror, #5))
β
His lips nuzzled her ear. βWhether you go or stay, I will love you until I die,β he whispered.
β
β
Teresa Medeiros (Lady of Conquest (Brides of Legend #2))
β
No man could be a khan to his mother.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
We are nothing but the oath we give.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
Aye, itβs the heart of the craft, the love and sweat that you put into it. If you think about the old tales, the magic comes from inside the person who creates it. - Conn
β
β
N.W. Moors (The Black Swans (The Antrim Cycle, #1))
β
If a man has gold, he lives with the terror that someone will take it away from him, so he builds walls around it. Then everyone knows where the gold is, so they come and take it. Thatβs the way it always goes, brother. Fools and gold, together.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Khan: Empire of Silver (Conqueror, #4))
β
Know the enemy and you will know how to kill him.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
The wisdom of age is bitter when those you have failed have gone.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Khan: Empire of Silver (Conqueror, #4))
β
We are not here to earn riches with a bow. The wolf does not think of fine things, only that his pack is strong and no other wolf dares to cross his path. That is enough.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
He was the khan of Wolves and he feared no man. They would pay dearly for his skin.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
There was no justice in the world, but he had known that ever since the death of his father. The spirits took no part in the lives of men once they had been born. A man either endured what the world sent his way, or was crushed.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
When I am gone, I do not want men to say Look at his piles of wealth, his cities, his palaces and fine clothes.β Genghis paused for a moment. βInstead I want them to say Make sure he is truly dead. He is a vicious old man and he conquered half the world.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
We are all fools with our sons. We wipe them and suckle them and all we expect is for them to be grateful to the end of their days.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Conqueror (Conqueror, #5))
β
To be a man was to be responsible. It was as simple as that. To be a man was to build something, to try to make the world about him a bit easier to live in for himself and those who followed.
You could sneer at that, you could scoff, you could refuse to acknowledge it, but when it came right down to it, Conn decided it was the man who planted a tree, dug a well, or graded a road who mattered.
β
β
Louis L'Amour (Conagher)
β
I have been distracted from my duty as a father to some extent, but there is no greater exercise to a manβs talents than the upbringing of his son.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (The Gates of Rome (Emperor, #1))
β
There is a price for all things, my son, for all men. I have merely to find his.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Conqueror (Conqueror, #5))
β
The point of war is to win, Kachiun. It does not matter how we do it, or how long it takes.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
What we make can survive us.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Khan: Empire of Silver (Conqueror, #4))
β
A man should always care about pleasing his wife.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
Genghis nodded drunkenly. "Writing," he replied, scornfully. "It traps words."
"It makes them real, lord. It makes them last.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Lords of the Bow (Conqueror, #2))
β
We are from a line of khans, brother. We rule wherever we are placed.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Lords of the Bow (Conqueror, #2))
β
Be careful in your life, Tolui. I want you fit and strong for when I come for you.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
A man must always have the final choice in life and in death. Anything else can be taken from him, but never that.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Lords of the Bow (Conqueror, #2))
β
Temujin snorted. "Never lose faith in me, little brother. My word is iron and I will always come home.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
Perhaps he needs the money. Some of the men live too richly for their purses, if you understand me. Fame would allow him large debts, but everything has to be paid back in the end.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (The Gates of Rome (Emperor, #1))
β
Each of us must use the gifts that we have, in the time that we have, in the place that we are. You taught me that. No more is required of us. And no less.
β
β
Virginia Kantra (Sea Lord (Children of the Sea, #3))
β
You do not placate a tiger by feeding it your own flesh.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Conqueror (Conqueror, #5))
β
He chuckled to himself as he walked. A warm woman and a battle to come. To be alive on such a night was a wondrous thing.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Lords of the Bow (Conqueror, #2))
β
Winter is our time. They shut up their cities for the cold months. They put their horses in stables and sit around great fires in enormous houses of stone. If you want a bearskin, do you attack in summer when it is strong and fast, or cut its throat as it sleeps?
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Khan: Empire of Silver (Conqueror, #4))
β
All men die,β Jelme went on, ignoring the outburst. βIt could be tonight, next year, or in forty years, when you are toothless and weak. All you can do is choose how you stand when it comes.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
He had a vision of a nation. The incredible martial skills of the Mongol tribes had always been wasted against each other. From nothing, surrounded by enemies, Temujin rose to unite them all. What came next would shake the world.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
Your gold buys my service, pleasure of seeing Spartans in battle. It is a rare gift and worth more than mere coins. After all, most men see it only once and never again.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (The Falcon of Sparta)
β
The eyes showed the soul and they were always hardest to mask.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
What is the purpose of life if not to conquer? To steal women and land? I would rather be here and see this than live out my life in peace.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Lords of the Bow (Conqueror, #2))
β
We will not stop until the sea bounds us in every direction. I am Genghis who say this and my word is iron.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Lords of the Bow (Conqueror, #2))
β
If you are asking if my family will take what they want, of course they will. The strong rule, Chen Yi. Those who are not strong dream of it.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Lords of the Bow (Conqueror, #2))
β
It is true that only a coward can be brave, as a man who feels no fear has conquered nothing.
β
β
Conn & David Iggulden (The Dangerous Book of Heroes)
β
A multitude of rulers is not a good thing. Let there be one ruler, one king.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
I conn'd old times, I sat studying at the feet of the great masters, Now if eligible O that the great masters might return and study me.
β
β
Walt Whitman (Leaves of Grass)
β
Jake Connely.
What about him?
He's my boyfriend.
β
β
Elle Kennedy (The Risk (Briar U, #2))
β
We are the silver people, the Mongols. When they ask, tell them there are no tribes. Tell them I am khan of the sea of grass, and they will know me by that name, as Genghis. Yes, tell them that. Tell them that I am Genghis and I will ride.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
And while they were in the same place, there came a great mist about them and a darkness, so that they could not know what way they were going, and they heard the noise of a rider coming towards them. 'It would be a great grief to us,' said Conn, 'to be brought away into a strange country.
β
β
Lady Gregory (Gods and Fighting Men: The Story of the Tuatha De Danaan and the Fianna of Ireland)
β
You have a powerful army, Kublai, but the best force is one you do not have to use.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Conqueror (Conqueror, #5))
β
The world cannot be full of lead dogs, or the pack would pull itself apart.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Conqueror (Conqueror, #5))
β
He would never understand women, he thought. They were lifeβs great mystery.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Khan: Empire of Silver (Conqueror, #4))
β
There is no escape from me, not even in death.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Khan: Empire of Silver (Conqueror, #4))
β
The eagles ruled the air as the tribes ruled the land.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
My son's name is Temujin," he said. "He will be iron.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
A knowledge isn't dangerous. Only the man is dangerous.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Lords of the Bow (Conqueror, #2))
β
What is a first line, but a door flung open by an unseen hand?
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Dunstan)
β
...holding to rage is like holding a piece of glowing coal. It burns only him.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
No man can think about everything;we can only be ready for everything
β
β
Conn Iggulden (The Gates of Rome (Emperor, #1))
β
Only memories stay the same, young lad. Everything else changes
β
β
Conn Iggulden (The Gates of Rome (Emperor, #1))
β
Get up,β she said. βGet up, my lord. If you do not have long, there is still much to do. You must not waste another day, another morning! Take hold of your life with both hands and crush it to you, my lord. You will not have another in this world.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Khan: Empire of Silver (Conqueror, #4))
β
The Buddha said, βGripped by fear, men go to the sacred mountains and sacred groves, sacred trees and shrines.β I am not afraid of death, my lady. I need no god to comfort me in my fear.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Khan: Empire of Silver (Conqueror, #4))
β
As he prepared to ride on, he chuckled at the thought of the wolf entering the sheepfold. He would not ride with fire and destruction. The shepherd did not frighten his own pretty lambs.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Khan: Empire of Silver (Conqueror, #4))
β
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
β
β
Robert A. Heinlein (Time Enough for Love)
β
Be careful of raising me too high, brother. I have no special strength, unless it is in choosing good men to follow me. The great lie of cities is that we are all too weak to stand against those who oppress us. All I have done is see through that lie. I always fight, Kachiun. Kings and shahs depend on people remaining sheep, too afraid to rise up. All I ever did was realize I can be a wolf to them.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
A very large, gray cat waddled over and said, βZeldaβ¦I have a bet going on with Jango that you can heal this sucker, so put all you have into it!β βIf I do save him, Fat Bastard, you are splitting the winnings with me. Now quiet!β Zelda said, putting up a hand to silence him. He sidled off mumbling something not very pretty.
β
β
Claudy Conn (Witchin' Hard (Magic and Mayhem; Witchin' #2))
β
My word is Iron
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
My word is iron," Kublai said to the guards, as Meng Guang was led away. "Your people will come to know this, in time.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Conqueror (Conqueror, #5))
β
I will finish what I have begun. I have said it. This is my khanate.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Conqueror (Conqueror, #5))
β
Predators did not need mercy.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Conqueror (Conqueror, #5))
β
He wanted his enemies proud and strong, so that he could cast them further down in his vengeance.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
All information can be bought, my son, if you are willing to pay the price.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
A little guilt has made more than a few men live better than they would have doneβtrying to even the scales before they cross the river.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (The Gods of War (Emperor, #4))
β
The suffering of my enemies will be a feast to the spirits. When I am old, I will remember the tears they have shed and it will ease my bones.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
For the khan, we will take their cities, their women, and their lands. This is the great raid, the farthest strike in the history of the nation of Genghis. We will not be stopped.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Khan: Empire of Silver (Conqueror, #4))
β
A man needs to feel a little fear, Tolui, if only to have the pride of conquering it.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Khan: Empire of Silver (Conqueror, #4))
β
If my brother was made to kneel... you will never walk again.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Lords of the Bow (Conqueror, #2))
β
It is done. We are a nation and we will ride. Tonight, let no man think of his tribe and mourn. We are a greater family and all lands are ours to take.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Lords of the Bow (Conqueror, #2))
β
It does not matter what others think of how I lived my life. It does not matter if we go down in Temugeβs histories as tyrants or even cowards. All that matters is what we do now. We are our only judges, Kachiun. Remember that. Those who come after will have other trials, other battles to worry about.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
It was a revelation as important as any other in its way β that expert men love their subject. Show them interest, show them fascination, and they see themselves reflected β and then they will move the world for you. The
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Dunstan: One Man. Seven Kings. England's Bloody Throne. (181 POCHE))
β
From this day, you are no longer children. If you have to fight, even if it is a friend, put him down as fast and hard as you possibly can. Kill if you have to, or spare himβbut beware putting any man in your debt. Of all things, that causes resentment. Any warrior who raises his fist to you must know he is gambling with his life and that he will lose. If you cannot win at first, take revenge if it is the last thing you do. You are traveling with men who respect only strength greater than theirs, men harder than themselves. Above everything else, they respect success. Remember it.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Lords of the Bow (Conqueror, #2))
β
No congratulations?β Derry said cheerfully. βNo βwell done, Derryβ? I am disappointed in you, William Pole. Thereβs not many men could have pulled this off in such a time, but I have, havenβt I? The French looked for foxes and found only innocent chickens, just like we wanted. The marriage will go ahead and all we need to do now is mention casually to the English living in Maine and Anjou that their service is no longer appreciated by the Crown. In short, that they can fuck off.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Stormbird (Wars of the Roses, #1))
β
The Assassin fortress in Alamut came under attack by Huleguβs forces around 1256. The head of the Muslim sect that held the fortress of Alamut was, in fact, Ala Ad-Din. I avoided his true name because of the similarity to βAladdinβ and because
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Conqueror: A Novel of Kublai Khan (Conqueror, #5))
β
Why do you hurt me? What more do you want?β she asked, tears shining in her eyes.
βPower over you, little one,β he said, smiling. βWhat does any man want but that? It is something in the blood of every one of us. We would all be a tyrant if we could.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Lords of the Bow (Conqueror, #2))
β
Those who cannot conquer must bend the knee. They must find strength, or serve those of us who have. You are my generals. I will send you out: my hunting dogs, my wolves with iron teeth. When a city closes its gates in fear, you will destroy it. When they make roads and walls, you will cut them, pull down the stones. When a man raises a sword or bow against your men, you will hang him from a tree. Keep Karakorum in your minds as you go. This white city is the heart of the nation, but you are the right arm, the burning brand. Find me new lands, gentlemen. Cut a new path. Let their women weep a sea of tears and I will drink it all.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Khan: Empire of Silver (Conqueror, #4))
β
The greatest joy a man can know is to conquer his enemies and drive them before him. To ride their horses and take away their possessions, to see the faces of those who were dear to them bedewed with tears, and to clasp their wives and daughters in his arms.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
If I had created myself, I would be taller, blond, and more well endowed, financially. I would have cast out spiders and bad-hair days. Therefore, and hence, I believe strongly in a Creator who not only gave me the gift, but the free will to create my own journey through life.
β
β
Audrey Conn
β
I got kicked out of my first home for poking a wire hanger into an electrical outlet. My foster mom caught me, shrieked, and called the DCFS to come cart me away, because I was clearly suicidal and no one had told her that I was a child with βspecial needs.ββ
βWere you? Suicidal?β
βI was five.β
βStill.β
βNo, I wasnβt trying to off myself. I was curious. Little kids spend half their waking hours being warned not to do things. Donβt run with scissors. Donβt lick a flagpole in winter. Donβt stick anything into electrical outlets. Those three little holes looked so mysterious. I had to know if they were as dangerous as everyone said.β
βWhat happened?β A smile curled the corner of Connβs mouth, indicating heβd already guessed the answerβwhich wasnβt exactly hard, given that I was standing right there in front of him, and not buried in an early grave with the tombstone Here Lies Darcy Jones, electrocuted orphan.
β
β
Marie Rutkoski (The Shadow Society (The Shadow Society, #1))
β
To be betrayed by those he trusted seems to have ignited a spark of vengeance in Temujin, a desire for power that never left him. His childhood experiences created the man he would become, who would not bend or allow fear or weakness in any form. He cared nothing for possessions or wealth, only that his enemies fall.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
All men die, Genghis. All. Think what it means for a moment. None of us are remembered for more than one or two generations." He raised a hand as Genghis opened his mouth to speak again. "Oh, I know we chant the names of great khans by the fireside and the Chin have libraries running back for thousands of years. What of it? Do you think it matters to the dead that their names are read aloud? They donβt care, Genghis. They are gone. The only thing that matters is what they did while they were alive.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3))
β
Of course, most failures aren't so public in nature. Most failures happen quietly, unspectacularly, and their effects are cumulative. Most of the time failure doesn't reveal itself in a moment but wraps around you over a lifetime, adding heaviness to your step until one day you recognize you've been wearing failure on your face all along, that your failures have decorated your breast like the medallions of an army general's coat, that they've stripped away what's best in you, like rain peeling away the layers of a freshly painted house.
β
β
Andrew Lewis Conn
β
It behooves us ill to look back and point fingers, saying, βAh, that should not have happened. That should not have been allowed.β Such a perspective is granted only to men staring backward, Sir William. For those of us with the will to go forward, it is as if we walk blindfolded into a dark room. Not every false step or stumble can be judged after the moment has passed, nor should it be.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Stormbird (Wars of the Roses, #1))
β
-Dentro de cem anos ninguΓ©m que vocΓͺ conhece estarΓ‘ vivo. EntΓ£o o que vai importar se lutamos ou simplesmente passamos os dias dormindo ao sol?
Zhenjin piscou para ele, incapaz de entender o humor estranho do pai.
-Se nΓ£o importa, entΓ£o por que vamos lutar contra seu irmΓ£o?
-Talvez eu nΓ£o tenha dito direito. Quero dizer que nΓ£o importa se mudamos o mundo. O mundo vai em frente, e novas vidas chegam e partem. O prΓ³prio GΓͺngis disse que seria esquecido, e, acredite, ele deixou uma sombra longa. O modo como vivemos importa, Zhenjin! Importa que usemos o que recebemos, durante apenas o breve tempo que temos ao sol. - Ele sorriu ao ver o filho lutando com a ideia. -Γ sΓ³ isso o que se pode alegar, quando o fim chegar: "NΓ£o desperdicei meu tempo." Acho que isso importa. Acho que talvez sΓ³ isso importe.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Conqueror (Conqueror, #5))
β
I will kill them,β Temujin promised, rage kindling in him. βI will burn them and eat their flesh if they do.β βThat will bring you peace, but it will not change anything for Borte,β Hoelun said. βWhat else can I do? She cannot kill them as I could, or force them to kill her, even. Nothing that happens is her fault.β He found himself crying and wiped angrily at bloody tears on his cheeks. βShe trusted me.β βYou cannot make this right, my son. Not if they escape your brothers. If you find her alive, you will have to be patient and kind.β βI know that! I love her; that is enough.β βIt was,β Hoelun persisted. βIt may not be enough any longer.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))
β
We feed the soil with our blood, our endless feuding,β he said after a time. βWe always have, but that does not mean we always should. I have shown that a tribe can come from the Quirai, the Wolves, the Woyela, the Naimans. We are one people, Arslan. When we are strong enough, I will make them come to me, or I will break them one at a time. I tell you we are one people. We are Mongols, Arslan. We are the silver people and one khan can lead us all.β
βYou are drunk, or dreaming,β Arslan replied, ignoring his sonβs discomfort. βWhat makes you think they would ever accept you?β
βI am the land,β Temujin replied. βAnd the land sees no difference in the families of our people.
β
β
Conn Iggulden (Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1))