Quotes from James Clavell

You can find friends in manure, sometimes, my son.

Oh, yes. Every year in this Land of the Gods we have earth tremors. And fires and flood and Great Waves, and the monster storms – the tai-funs. Nature is very strong with us.' Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. 'Perhaps that is why we love life so much, Anjin-san. You see, we have to. Death is part of our air and sea and earth. You should know, Anjin-san, in this Land of Tears, death is our heritage.

The British. We have proved beyond all doubt we're to be trusted, we can govern, and, by and large, our bureaucracy's incorruptible.

Perhaps that is why we love life so much, Anjin-san. You see, we have to. Death is part of our air and see and earth.

Yabu-san's a violent man with no scruples whatsoever. He honors nothing but his own interests. Duty, loyalty, tradition, mean nothing to him. His mind has flashes of great cunning, even brilliance. He's equally dangerous as ally or enemy.'     'All commendable virtues. What's to be said against him?'     'A

Secrets never leave you in peace, however much you wish or pray.

Those fanatics'll never live at peace with one another even though they could, easily. They will never bury their differences even if it costs them their stupid lives." He laughed

So many firsts. Yes. And so many deaths to win them.

Fallibility in a leader is very trying. Isn't it? They spill so much of other people's blood.

We in the KGB are like Japanese in that we too agree the only sin is failure.

When the Dragons belch, all Hong Kong defecates.

Listen, this is my death poem: "Like dew I was born Like dew I vanish Osaka Castle and all that I have ever done Is but a dream Within a dream." A last smile, so tender, from the Despot to them and to him. "Guard my son, all of you." And then the eyes had opaqued forever.

Where do the interests of the Christians lie?" "On the side of peace. Christianity is a religion, Sire, not a political ideology.

What nonsense it all is! Catholic and Protestant and Calvinist and Lutherist and every other shitist.

The word of God surpasses earthly orders.

How beautiful life is and how sad! How fleeting, with no past and no future, only a limitless now.

Ce minunat, ce minunat de simplu e s? po?i spune c? dragostea te aduce aproape de Dumnezeu.

But a vassal should never expect his lord to reward his services or even acknowledge them: To serve is duty, duty is samurai, samurai is immortality.

Malayan. It means 'ashamed.'" He smiled to himself. It was a contraction of puki mahlu. Mahlu ashamed, puki a Golden Gulley. Malays grant feelings to that part of a woman: hunger, sadness, kindness, rapaciousness, hesitancy, shame, anger—anything and everything.

He had long since discovered that peaceful sleep could provide the answer to most puzzles, and if not, what did it really matter? Wasn't life just a dewdrop within a dewdrop?

I'm not afraid, my son. I fear nothing on this earth. I fear only God's judgment

Don Sisco y Vivera, in July of 1588

People are "the company" and those in charge can and always will hide behind that facade, that "the company must survive," or "for the good of the company," and so on, wrecking or promoting for personal reasons, enmities or hatreds.

What is pain to a man? A privilege!