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C.J. Sansom

C.J. Sansom Quotes

Writer

C.J. Sansom is a British writer renowned for his historical novels set in medieval England. Born in 1952, he has made a name for himself with his intricate and captivating narratives that frequently explore the political and social intricacies of the era. Sansom's writing is celebrated for its thorough historical research and compelling storytelling.

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Famous C.J. Sansom Quotes

“There are different types of courage," he said gloomily. "Few have them all in good measure”

Fear Courage Bravery Endurance

Author:C.J. Sansom

“Then I am sorry for you, mistress," I said evenly. "But that has nothing to do to me. Do not dare to assume you know my mind or history. That is insolence and I will not have it. I will not be your scapegoat!" And with that I turned and walked away, leaving her standing alone in the street.”

Courage Tolerance Boundaries Defence Judgemental Standing Up For Yourself

Book:Sovereign

Source: Sovereign

“If a ruler who wants to act honourably is surrounded by unscrupulous men, his downfall is inevitable.”

Politics Leadership Honesty Downfall Mutiny

Book:Dissolution

Source: Dissolution

“The City knows countless ways to cheat people. It's nothing to be proud of. The country has more honest ways.”

Country Kindness Honesty Morals

Book:Dark Fire

Source: Dark Fire

“Our minds are ruled by passions more than reason. And sometimes they run out of control.”

Mind Reason Choices Passion Decision Decision Making

Book:Revelation

Source: Revelation

“I took the book and glanced at the page Guy was reading. I quoted, ‘The rich man’s substance is the wellspring of the poor man’s living.' Ah yes, that theory, that as the rich grow richer their wealth trickles down to the poor like sand. Well, I have been practising law twenty-five years and all I have seen is it trickle ever upwards.”

Wealth Class Poverty Trickle Down Economics

Book:Tombland

Source: Tombland

“Women can be crueller even than men.”

Evil Women Cruelty

Book:Sovereign

Source: Sovereign

“What do our lives matter?' she asked bitterly. 'What are any of us but pawns in the schemes of the great?”

Suffering Evil Depression Injustice

Book:Dark Fire

Source: Dark Fire

“And you are Death," I answer savagely. "You are the Bane, the antithesis of everything good and alive under the sun.”

Death Evil Destruction Mad Insane Antithesis Bane

Book:Sovereign

Source: Sovereign

“The Bible says God made man in his image, but I think we make and remake him in whatever image happens to suit our shifting needs.”

God Bible Hypocrisy

Book:Dissolution

Source: Dissolution

“I continued to pray. I did not want to but felt it was important; oddly enough it was an achor to the real world, which was slipping out of focus for me.”

God Reality Religion Hope Religious Prayer Pray

Book:Revelation

Source: Revelation

“God: "I did not take Eloise out of the world. Why should your life be more important than hers?" And that gentlest of chidings showed me all along, without even thinking of it, I had been assuming my scholar's life was more important to God than hers, that he would snuff hers out as a ploy to get me into the cloister.”

God Death Faith Hope Lost Grief Healing Lonely Mourning Pray

Book:Revelation

Source: Revelation

“You pray so hard,' Guy asked gently, 'would you hear God if He answered you?' Adam frowned, looked at Guy suspiciously. 'How could I not hear Him?' 'Because of your fear that is so strong it drowns everything. Is it Hell you fear?”

God Religion Fear Religious Lord Conscience Guilt Guilty Pray

Book:Revelation

Source: Revelation

“These are deep waters. Politics and madness.”

Politics Madness Complicated

Book:Revelation

Source: Revelation

“I know everyone would like it to be over. I wish I could believe that myself. But we cannot always believe what suits us.”

Suffering Belief Wish Exhausted End Ending

Book:Revelation

Source: Revelation

“Never in England were there so many gentlemen and so little gentleness.”

Class Society Ambition Gentleness Civility Rudeness Gentlemen Play On Words

Book:Tombland

Source: Tombland

“He must have an utter devotion to his twisted passions, above anything else in the world. He can have no conscience. In his world only he matters. And it is perhaps not so large a step from there to persuading yourself that God himself has set you the task you so enjoy.”

Mad Obsession Narcissism Narcissistic Serial Killer Fanatic Obessive

Book:Revelation

Source: Revelation

“A desperate person can be more dangerous than the worst villain. You never know what they might do in their desperation, while a villain is always a villain.”

Insane Desperate Villain Desperation Villains

Book:Sovereign

Source: Sovereign

“I think that obsessiveness enabled her to justify to herself what she was doing. Desperate people can think up reasons to justify almost anything, be they stupid or clever.”

Insane Obsessed Desperate Justify Desperation Obsessive

Author:C.J. Sansom

“I'm with you all the way. I'd prefer action to sitting around like a target.”

Action Loyalty Target Loyal Self Defense

Book:Sovereign

Source: Sovereign

“Where was Christ when that poor girl and her brother were being cut to pieces last night? Watching, in the sorrow you see there in his face, as men used the free will God gave them to do terrible evil.”

God Religion Faith Humanity Christ Crisis Man

Book:Dark Fire

Source: Dark Fire

“Once I did believe the world could be perfected. I don't think that any more. But I believe I've defended the bad side against the worst.”

Lesser Evil Imperfect World

Book:Dark Fire

Source: Dark Fire

“Many [Tudor-era religious radicals] believed then, exactly as Christian fundamentalists do today, that they lived in the 'last days' before Armageddon and, again just as now, saw signs all around in the world that they took as certain proof that the Apocalypse was imminent. Again like fundamentalists today, they looked on the prospect of the violent destruction of mankind without turning a hair. The remarkable similarity between the first Tudor Puritans and the fanatics among today's Christian fundamentalists extends to their selective reading of the Bible, their emphasis on the Book of Revelation, their certainty of their rightness, even to their phraseology. Where the Book of Revelation is concerned, I share the view of Guy, that the early church fathers released something very dangerous on the world when, after much deliberation, they decided to include it in the Christian canon." [From the author's concluding Historical Note]”

Religion Destruction Cruelty Holocaust Fundamentalism Apocalypse Orthodoxy Mania Armageddon Radicalism Book Of Revelation

Book:Revelation

Source: Revelation

“It is a change of approach that is much needed, study based on observation, not merely acceptance of blind doctrine.”

Science Religion Religious Study Research Doctrine Cult

Book:Revelation

Source: Revelation

“St Gregory of Nyssa once said All the arts and sciences have their roots in the struggle against death.”

Science Death Saint Immortality Arts

Book:Dark Fire

Source: Dark Fire

“One bears things because there is no alternative.”

Reality Pain Resilience Gain No Choice

Book:Sovereign

Source: Sovereign

“There is nothing under the moon that is not subject to change.”

Book:Dark Fire

Source: Dark Fire

“Lupus est homo homini: Man is wolf to man.”

Hate Evil Human Man

Book:Dark Fire

Source: Dark Fire

“Perhaps that is the problem," I answered gently. "You built a fantasy of how married life would be, and find hard the reality of a union which heaven knows has been blessed with little luck. But that is the fault of neither of you. If only the two of you could talk freely.”

Love Marriage Wife Relationship Couple Husband Married Life

Book:Revelation

Source: Revelation

“We of alien looks or words must stick together.”

Looks Together Community Sticks Aliens

Book:Revelation

Source: Revelation

“In worshipping their nationhood men worship themselves and scorn others, and that is no healthy thing.”

Men Healthy Worship Nationalism Scorn

Book:Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery

Source: Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery

“Have you ever thought what a God would be like who actually ordained and executed the cruelty that is in [the biblical Book of Revelation]? A holocaust of mankind. Yet so many of these Bible-men accept the idea without a second thought.”

Men Book Ideas Would Be Accepting Mankind Cruelty Revelations Holocaust Biblical Second Thoughts Book Of Revelation

Author:C.J. Sansom

“Like all lawyers, I was delighted by gratitude. It happened so rarely.”

Happened Gratitude Lawyer Thank You Delighted Attorney

Book:Revelation

Source: Revelation

“If I knocked and waited at every door, who knows what I might miss?”

Ifs Knows Life Might Doors Missing

Book:Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery

Source: Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery

“It seems a universal rule in this world that people will always look for victims and scapegoats, does it not? Especially at times of difficulty and tension.”

People World Life Looks Doe Seems This World Universal Difficulty Victim Tension Scapegoat

Book:Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery

Source: Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery

“But if we never acted except when we were certain our motives were pure, we would never act at all.”

Ifs Certain Pure Motive

Book:Revelation

Source: Revelation

“The lives God gives to us, the awful things we can’t escape from. Sometimes I think that sort of God would enjoy making hell for us after we die.”

Thinking Giving Sometimes Dies Enjoy Hell Awful

Author:C.J. Sansom

“Funny, when i was a little boy I wanted to be good. But I could never seem to manage it somehow. And if you're not good, the good people will throw you to the wolves. So you might as well just be bad”

People Ifs Wells Littles Seems Might Wanted Boys Be Good Manage Good People Little Boys

Book:Winter in Madrid

Source: Winter in Madrid

“Truly, as the ancients taught us, there is nothing under the moon, however fine, that is not subject to corruption.”

Subjects Taught Fine Moon Corruption Taught Us

Book:Dissolution: Tenth Anniversary Edition

Source: Dissolution: Tenth Anniversary Edition

“The echoes of childhood torments have great power, even when not brought to mind in such an inexplicable and horrifying way.”

Way Mind Childhood Echoes Torment Great Power Inexplicable

Book:Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery

Source: Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery

“Dominion is a spy novel, a love story, and also I hope gives some sense of the difficulties faced by dissidents under any totalitarian regime: the threat of imprisonment, torture and death; the threat to one's family, the terror of being alone in a hostile world.”

World Giving Stories Novel Difficulty Threat Terror Love Story Torture Regimes Hostile Spy Dominion Imprisonment Dissidents Totalitarian Regimes

Author:C.J. Sansom

About the Author

Born: 1952
Known for: Writer
Quotes: 41

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Books & Sources

RevelationRelated source material

Dark FireRelated source material

SovereignRelated source material

Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Tudor MysteryRelated source material

DissolutionRelated source material

TomblandRelated source material

Dissolution: Tenth Anniversary EditionRelated source material

Winter in MadridRelated source material

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