James Clavell citáty

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„Bez dôvery v generála nemožno vyhrať žiadnu bitku, bez ohľadu na množstvo vojakov a na množstvo zbraní.“

„Veľký Biznis, najvzrušujúcejšia hra Monopoly na svete.“

„Americké ženy, ktoré sú ako kalifornské ovocie: krásne na pohľad, ohromné tvary, ale žiadna chuť!“

„Je desaťtisíckrát lacnejšie štedro platiť najlepších špiónov, ako zle platiť hoci aj malú armádu.“

„Rozvaha je lepšia časť odvahy.“

„Muž potrebuje na tomto svete mäkké pery a tvrdé zuby, a každý vie, čo pretrvá dlhšie.“

„Všetci títo muži, pretože boli Číňania, vedeli že sa história opakuje, že sa éry môžu zmeniť rýchlo a že ten, kto je dnes ráno cisárom, môže sa odpoludnia stať psom na úteku,“

„Nech Boh potrestá Angličanov! Sú všetci takí uhladení a švihácki, majú perfektné spôsoby, hovoria "prosím" a "ďakujem" a vstanú, keď vojdete a podržia vám stoličku, ale tesne pod povrchom sú práve takí skazení ako všetci ostatní.“

„Nech nás Boh chráni od amerických žien!“

„Hovoríme tu, že banka BLACS sa skladá z džentlmenov, ktorí sa snažia byť bankármi a v banke VICTORIA sú bankári, ktorí sa snažia byť džentlmenmi.“

„Jedným z prvých pravidiel prežitia je ponechať si otvorené možnosti voľby.“

„Láska je západné slovo, pani. Ja som Číňan!“

„Na chytenie mocného tigra je dobré obetovať ukradnuté jahňa.“

„Obchod je mastivo sveta.“

„Radšej sa presvedči o tom, že poznáš všetky slabiny človeka, kým sa dáš proti nemu do boja.“

„Zvádzanie je proste ženský zvyk. Ponúkať sa je proste ženská potreba.“

“You must be patient before you criticize.”

“Your daddy had to go back to school a little. He had some strange thoughts — and he wanted other grown-ups to believe them. It's not right for others to believe wrong thoughts, is it?”

“God gives us intelligence to uncover the wonders of nature. Without the gift, nothing is possible.”

“I'm going to work hard not to have any wrong thoughts!”

“Changi for me — of course it's easy to be wise after the event, and to discuss it cleverly after the event — was about as near as you can get to being dead and still be alive.”

“The more I know, the more sure I am I know so little. The eternal paradox.”

“So much wealth and so much power, Armstrong thought, yet with a little luck, we can bring you down like Humpty-Dumpty…”

“I'm going to pray to our leader every time!”

“All his life he had heard legends told among pilots and sailormen about the incredible riches of Portugal's secret empire in the East, how they had by now converted the heathens to Catholicism and so held them in bondage, where gold was as cheap as pig iron, and emeralds, rubies, diamonds, and sapphires as plentiful as pebbles on a beach.
If the Catholic part's true, he told himself, perhaps the rest is too.”

“First she studied her husband's flower arrangement. He had chosen the blossom of a single white wild rose and put a single pearl of water on the green leaf, and set it on red stones. Autumn is coming, he was suggesting with the flower, talking through the flower, do not weep for the time of fall, the time of dying when the earth begins to sleep; enjoy the time of beginning again and experience the glorious cool of the autumn air on this summer evening…soon the tear will vanish and the rose, only the stones will remain — soon you and I will vanish and only the stones will remain.”

“Perhaps my mommy should go back to school. Perhaps she should.”

“Now the sun touched the horizon and the man reined in his horse tiredly, glad that the time for prayer had come.”

“The search for the truth is the most important work in the whole world — and the most dangerous.”

“All stories have a beginning, a middle and an ending, and if they're any good, the ending is a beginning.”

“Because Johnny was especially clever I think we should make him monitor for the whole week. Don't you?”

“Just a moment, children — what does "pledge" mean?”

“God bless mommy and daddy, and please can we have some candy.”

“I'm going to get that bloody bastard if I die in the attempt.”

“Of course wars are fought by teenagers — you realize that — they really ought to be fought by the politicians and the old people who start these wars.”

“Your old teacher never explained anything to you? I don't think that was very good. Not to explain. You can always ask me anything. That's what a real teacher should do.”

“To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever-increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort. This is one of the things that discipline — training — is about.”

“I put the candy on the desk. So you know, it doesn't matter who you shut your eyes and pray to — to God, or anyone, even our leader — no one will ever give you anything. Only another human being … only I, or someone like me, can give you things. Praying to God or anyone for something is a waste of time.”

“When you have an enemy it is wise to know his ways. The King knew as much about Grey as any man could know about another.”

“Help! Help me! Please help me! Help me!”