Quotes from Simon Scarrow

You cannot teach a man how to forget fear. It is a rare quality

We get what fate deals out to us, lad. And we have no choice about how we handle it.' Cato smiled. 'What's this? Philosophy?' 'Experience, lad. Much better.

What is the value of being a criminal investigator in a state run by criminals ?

Lust? Who's talking about lust? You want to screw her, right? So that's your objective. All you need now is deployment of the appropriate tactics to manoeuvre her into an advantageous position and then secure your conquest. Then it's just a question of mopping up.

A glorious victory has a funny way of erasing memories of the reasons why a victory was needed in the first place.

the harbour entrance, the sails were furled and the crews unshipped the oars and rowed the warships

A gladiator only gets to use a real sword when he fights in the arena, since no Roman worth his salt trusts a gladiator with a real sword in the ludus. You have that ungrateful wretch Spartacus to thank for that.

Talleyrand smiled. 'It seems that the English are preparing to fight to the last Austrian.

then abruptly turned and scurried away, darting into a passage a little further

I did not act from logic, sire, but pinciple. Where is the value of principle if a man refuses to place his faith in it, come what may?

The legion was raised by Mark Antony. He filled the ranks with men from Cleopatra's army. When Antony was defeated by Octavian, the Twenty-Second was integrated into the rest of the army and has been stationed on the Nile since then. They're a mix of Greeks and Egyptians from the Nile cities.

If there's one thing I've learned in all my years watching men shed blood in the arena, it's this. Being a gladiator isn't just about physical strength. It's about thinking on your feet. You, young man … you show admirable resourcefulness when your back is against the wall

Thoughts of revenge must give way to the need for swift action

to Camulodunum and told me the story. The others were not

Du erinnerst dich doch bestimmt, dass ich gesagt habe, ein Ersatzkonvoi sei unterwegs zum Stützpunkt, nicht wahr? Also hättest du mich nicht von der Latrine holen und mir einen besonders guten Schiss verderben sollen. - Macro

Die Armee ist ein zu gefährlicher Ort für Theaterkritiker. - Macro

Soldaten sollten diszipliniert werden, nicht hospitalisiert.

Agora, Cato preferira regressar às casernas depois da instrução. Era imprescindível fazer amigos quanto antes, pensou. Mas como? E quem? Os outros tinham constituído pequenos grupos durante a viagem desde Avêntico, enquanto ele passara o tempo a ler o maldito Virgílio, recordou com súbita fúria. Dava tudo para voltar a iniciar aquela viagem, sabendo o que sabia agora.

You'd have to be a mad dog or a Celt to venture out into the noonday gales in this dump, I tell you.

Surely, he thought, next to a battle lost there is nothing so dreadful as a battle won.

spare me your delight in the greater misfortune of others.' He paused, as a thought struck him. 'There really ought to be a word for that quality since so many people seem to relish the misfortune of others.' Cato cleared his throat.

Shit . . . Well, in for a sestertius, in for a denarius.

Truly, Macro thought, the most effective weapons in Rome's arsenal were the picks and shovels wielded by her soldiers.

Don't you think I haven't already?' Miriam said wearily. 'I think about it every day, and always I ask myself what Jehoshua would have done . . .