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It's surprising how often history is decided by something as trival as bad shellfish.

John Flanagan

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John Flanagan
Surprising
Decided
History
Often
Something
Shellfish

More quotes by John Flanagan

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How can you stay so calm? It helps if you're terrified.
John Flanagan
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I nearly forgot, Ragnak had a further message for you. He said if we lose this battle and loses his slaves as well, he's going to kill you for it, he said cheerfully. Halt smiled grimly. If we lose this battle, he may have to get in line to do it. There'll be a few thousand Temujai cavalrymen in front of him.
John Flanagan
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You spoil your horse, Halt said. Will glanced at him. You spoil yours. Halt considered the thought, then nodded. That's true.
John Flanagan
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Now, said Halt, all I have to do is work out a way of beating these horse-riding devils. Erak grinned at him. That should be child's play, he said. The hard part will be convincing Ragnak about it.
John Flanagan
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Problems postponed have a habit of solving themselves
John Flanagan
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If everything is done for me... how will I ever learn?
John Flanagan
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Shall I call the others back in? He nodded. Why ask me? It's all of you who are making the decisions.
John Flanagan
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People will think what they want to, he said quietly. Never take too much notice of it.
John Flanagan
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A good leader is someone who knows what he's bad at, and hires someone who's good at it to take care of it for him.
John Flanagan
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But I wasn't happy... when I heard you two had assaulted Castle Macindaw with just thirty men,' [said Halt]. 'Thirty-three,' mumbled Horace... The Ranger gave him a withering look. 'Oh, pardon me... three more men does make a lot of difference.
John Flanagan
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Will looked up angrily, shaking his head in disbelief. Will you shut up? he said tautly. Horace shrugged in apology. 'I'm sorry' he said, I sneezed. A person can't help it when they sneeze. Perhaps not. But you could try to make it sound a little less like an elephant trumpeting in agony Will told him.
John Flanagan
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The two girls disappeared into the stern cabin once more. Will watched them go, then asked Halt, 'Anything you'd like me to do? Grow a beard? Learn to walk like a rooster?' 'If you could stop asking facetious questions, that'd be a start,' Halt told him. 'But it's probably a little late in life for you to do that.
John Flanagan
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What are you looking at, foreigner?” the guard demanded roughly. The smile was a little unsettling. A prisoner shouldn’t smile at his captors like that. “I’m just making sure I can remember you,” Gilan told him. “Never know when that might be useful.
John Flanagan
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I said, names aren't important, he repeated. There was a silence between them for some seconds, then the Ranger said: Do you know what is important? Will shook his head. Supper is important!
John Flanagan
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You surely can't be trying to blame us for Erak's habit of charging ashore waving an axe and grabbing everything that isn't nailed down? No offence, Svengal. Svengal shrugged. None taken. It's a pretty accurate description of Erak on a raid, as a matter of fact.
John Flanagan
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Success tended to make the unorthodox acceptable
John Flanagan
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Once you best a man, never gloat. Be generous and find something in his actions to praise. He won't enjoy being bested but he'll make a good face about it. Show him you appreciate it. Praise can win you a friend. Gloating will only ever make enemies.
John Flanagan
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But if we’re going to kill them all, we might as well make an occasion of it.” Toshak shrugged. “Do as you wish,” he said. “Occasion or not, as long as they’re all dead, I’m happy.
John Flanagan
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Oh, it's a case of 'they think I'll think that they'll do A, so they'll do B because I wouldn't think they'd think of that but then because I might think I know what they're thinking they'll do A after all because I wouldn't think they'd think that way,' Will said
John Flanagan
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But then, in his lifetime, Halt had often ignored what was technically legal. Technicalities didn't appeal to him. All too often, they simply got in the way of doing the right thing.
John Flanagan