219 quotes
Like so many others he seemed to equate self-pity with artistic inspiration. In an earlier age he might have discovered his public and become quite rich (self-pity passing for passion in the popular understanding).
Elric at the End of Time (1985)
“I’ll be seeing you,” said Jerry.
Koutrouboussis chuckled to himself. “At this rate you’ll be raising me, too.”
The Condition of Muzak (1977)
I have never had trouble with conflicting interpretations of my work. Once the story is published, it belongs to the reader.
The Wrecks of Time aka The Rituals of Infinity (1967)
He had thought his wars over. Now he realized peace had been merely a lull.
The City in the Autumn Stars (1986)
“I think you serve a great purpose, Hawkmoon. I think your destiny is a noble one.”
Hawkmoon laughed. “And yet I do not pine for a noble destiny—merely a secure one.”
The Sword of the Dawn (1968)
“Violent men believe only in such concepts as ‘weakness’ and ‘cowardice’. They are so deeply cynical , so rooted in their own insane beliefs, that they cannot even begin to grasp the concept of ‘pacifism’.”
The Land Leviathan (1974)
Time is at once an agony of the Present, a long torment of the Past and the terrible prospect of countless Futures. Time is also a complex of subtly intersecting realities, of unguessable consequences and undiscoverable causes, of profound tensions and dependencies.
The Dragon in the Sword (1986)
The captain seemed mad. Perhaps he did not enjoy his trade. Many soldiers did not, when real warfare developed.
The Steel Tsar (1981)
I addressed no one. I addressed the universe. I addressed a void.
The War Hound and the World’s Pain (1981)
Yesterday’s underdog is tomorrow’s tyrant.
The Condition of Muzak (1977)
Her smile was all pride. I had seen many like her in the past. She believed herself cleverer than she was because it suited others to let her maintain that delusion.
The Dragon in the Sword (1986)
From the ceiling came the miserable, neurotic drone of the Everly Brothers. He let it play, deepening his mood. If a mood was worth having, he thought, it was worth having profoundly.
The Condition of Muzak (1977)
My bargain with God included the undertaking that I should play no direct part, merely supervise mankind’s self-redemption. Like yourself, my agents are those whose independence of thought is already well-established.
The City in the Autumn Stars (1986)
And then he pursed his lips in disgust. “Doubtless that was the result of supernatural interference with our brains! How I hate the supernatural!”
The Runestaff (1969)
I was thinking of going into the assassination business. You know what a dreamer I am. Would it be too much of a hit and myth operation, do you think?
The Condition of Muzak (1977)
I pray, in short, that God exists, that Lucifer brings about His own Redemption and that mankind therefore shall in time be free of them both forever: for until Man makes his own justice according to his own experience, he will never know what true peace can be.
The War Hound and the World's Pain (1981)
There must be countless forms of love. Which is the form which conquers the rest? I cannot define it. I shall not try.
The Eternal Champion (1970)
“Is there anything you need?”
“Need? Aye. Peace of mind. Knowledge of my true destiny. A quiet place where I can be with Cymoril, whom I love.”
Elric at the End of Time (1985)
Here, I thought, I had found the human race in its final stages of decadence—perverse, insouciant, without ambition. And I could not blame them. After all, they had no future.
Phoenix in Obsidian (1970)
Her face was now a mask of moral outrage. “You talk of fashion while I speak of morality.”
It was true that Jerry had never been able to see much of a difference between the two.
The Lives and Times of Jerry Cornelius (1976)