Quotes From "Lord Of Light" By Roger Zelazny

Then every man would be as a god, you see. The result of this, of course, would be that there would no longer be any gods, only men. We would give them knowledge of the sciences and the arts, which we possess, and in so doing we would destroy their simple faith and remove all basis for their hoping that things will be better–for the best way to destroy faith or hope is to let it be realized. Roger Zelazny

No word matters. But man forgets reality and remembers words. Roger Zelazny

The four points of the compass be logic, knowledge, wisdom and the unknown.... To bow before the one is to lose sight of the three. Roger Zelazny

I'm very gullible when it comes to my own words. I believe everything I say, though I know I am a liar. Roger Zelazny

If it will give you any satisfaction in the end, I still care for you. Either there is no such thing as love, or the word does not mean what I have thought it to mean on many different occasions. It is a feeling without a name, really–better to leave it at that. So take it and go away and have your fun with it. You know that we would both be at one another's throats again one day, as soon as we run out of common enemies. We had many fine reconciliations, but were they ever worth the pain that preceded them? Know that you have won and that you are the goddess I worship–for are not worship and religious awe a combination of love and hate, desire and fear? . Roger Zelazny

I'm very gullible when it comes to my own words. I believe everything I say, though I know I'm a liar. Roger Zelazny

You were correct, for all men have within them both that which is dark and that which is light. A man is a thing of many divisions, not a pure, clear flame such as you once were. His intellect often wars with his emotions, his will with his desires. his ideals are at odds with his environment, and if he follows them, he knows keenly the loss of that which was old, but if he does not follow them, he feels the pain of having forsaken a new and noble dream. Whatever he does represents both a gain and a loss, an arrival and a departure. Always he mourns that which is gone and fears some part of that which is new. Reason opposes tradition. Emotions oppose the restrictions his fellow men lay upon him. Always, from the friction of these things, there arises the thing you called the curse of man and mocked; guilt!. Roger Zelazny

You are a fool to speak of last great battles, Sam, for the last great battle is always the next one. Roger Zelazny

But I recall the springtime of the world as though it were yesterday–those days when we rode together to battle, and those nights when we shook the stars loose from the fresh-painted skies! Roger Zelazny

Siddhartha considered the ways of the demon, and in that moment he struck. Roger Zelazny

First, a man may in some ways be superior to his fellows and still serve them, if together they serve a common cause which is greater than any one man. I believe that I serve such a cause, or I would not be doing it. Roger Zelazny

He smelled the smells of commerce and listened to the cursing of the sailors, both of which he admired: the former, as it reeked of wealth, and the latter because it combined his two other chief preoccupations, these being theology and anatomy. Roger Zelazny

Then the one called Raltariki is really a demon?" asked Tak."Yes–and no, " said Yama, "If by 'demon' you mean a malefic, supernatural creature, possessed of great powers, life span and the ability to temporarily assume virtually any shape–then the answer is no. This is the generally accepted definition, but it is untrue in one respect."" Oh? And what may that be?"" It is not a supernatural creature."" But it is all those other things?"" Yes."" Then I fail to see what difference it makes whether it be supernatural or not–so long as it is malefic, possesses great powers and life span and has the ability to change its shape at will."" Ah, but it makes a great deal of difference, you see. It is the difference between the unknown and the unknowable, between science and fantasy–it is a matter of essence. The four points of the compass be logic, knowledge, wisdom and the unknown. Some do bow in that final direction. Others advance upon it. To bow before the one is to lose sight of the three. I may submit to the unknown, but never to the unknowable. Roger Zelazny

The day of battle dawned pink as the fresh-bitten thigh of a maiden. Roger Zelazny