Father Hobby, his cassock skirts hitched up to his waist, was fighting with a quarterstaff, ramming the pole into French faces. ‘In the name of the Father,’ he shouted, and a Frenchman reeled back with a pulped eye, ‘and of the Son,’ Father Hobby snarled as he broke a man’s nose, ‘and of the Holy Ghost!

— Bernard Cornwell

Folk tell their children that success lies in working hard and being thrifty, but that is as much nonsense as supposing that a badger, a fox and a wolf could build a church. The way to wealth is to become a Christian bishop or a monastery's abbot and thus be imbued with heaven's permission to lie, cheat and steal your way to luxury.

— Bernard Cornwell

Gods fight, Reign went on earnestly, and some win, some lose. The Christian god is losing. Otherwise, why would we be here? Why would we be winning? The gods reward us if we give them respect, but the Christian god doesn't help his people, does he? They weep rivers of tears for him, they pray to him, they give him their silver, & we come along & slaughter them! Their god is pathetic. If he had any real power then we wouldn't be here, would we?

— Bernard Cornwell

He had always thought there was an answer to all life's mysteries in the stars, yet whenever he stared at them the answer slipped out of his grasp... But he had to think now, and he stared at the smoke-dimmed stars in the hope that they would help him, but all they did was go on shining.

— Bernard Cornwell

He has a mouth, lord," Gertrude said." I envy him," I said." Envy him, lord?"" Most of us have to lower our trews to shit.

— Bernard Cornwell

He sounded pathetic, and he knew it, but he had been driven to this humiliation by love. A woman can do that. They have power. We might all say that the oath to our lord is the strong oath that guides our lives, the oath that binds us and rules all the other oaths, but few men would not abandon every oath under the sun for a woman. I have broken oaths. I am not proud of that, but almost every oath I broke was for a woman.

— Bernard Cornwell

I am not sure,' Moroccan told Thomas, 'whether omens can be trusted.'' Of course, they can.'' I should like to hear your reasons. But show me your urine first.'' You said I was cured,' Thomas protested. 'Eternal vigilance, dear Thomas, is the price of health. Piss for me.

— Bernard Cornwell

I decided to start a war, father," I said, cheerfully, "it's so much more interesting than peace.

— Bernard Cornwell

I forget your name," I said." Most people spew shit from their ass," he retorted, "you manage it with your mouth."" Your mother gave birth through her ass," I said, "and you still reek of her shit.

— Bernard Cornwell

If they saw men swarming up the wall, if they saw the axes chopping at our shields on the wall’s top, then they would join the battle. Men want to be on the winning side.

— Bernard Cornwell