Conrad Aiken Quotes

I too shall lie in the dust when I am dead, but now let me win noble renown.

Who tracks the steps of glory to the grave?

Another hand thy sword shall wield, Another hand the standard wave, Till from the trumpet's mouth is pealed The blast of triumph o'er thy grave.

Death makes no conquest of this conqueror: For now he lives in fame, though not in life.

What's so noble about being dead?

Fame is but an inscription on a grave, and glory the melancholy blazon on a coffin lid.

Pleasures are transient, honors are immortal.

They are dead; but they live in each Patriot's breast, And their names are engraven on honor's bright crest.

To die for one's country is such a worthy fate that all compete for so beautiful a death.

Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.

You that would judge me, do not judge alone this book or that, come to this hallowed place where my friends' portraits hang and look thereon; Ireland's history in their lineaments trace; think where man's glory most begins and ends and say my glory was I had such friends.

Death comes to all, but great achievements build a monument which shall endure until the sun grows cold.

The paths of glory lead but to the grave.

Whither depart the souls of the brave that die in the battle, Die in the lost, lost fight, for the cause that perishes with them?

Soldiers, you are naked, unfed; the government owes you much but has given you nothing. The patience and courage that you have shown among these rocks are admirable; but it brings you no glory—not a glimmer falls upon you. I will lead you into the most fertile plains in the world. Rich provinces, great cities will be in your power; there you will find honor, glory and riches.

The soldier going down and the cause of freedom never dies—immortality is his.

You can always hear the people who are willing to sacrifice somebody else's life. They're plenty loud and they talk all the time. You can find them in churches and schools and newspapers and legislatures and congress. That's their business. They sound wonderful. Death before dishonor. This ground sanctified by blood. These men who died so gloriously. They shall not have died in vain. Our noble dead.

Ultimately you play the game to be the champion, to be remembered.

If you lose, no one will remember you, but if you're the champion, they will always remember you.

What comes after victory? Why do people value victory so much? What is 'glory'? What kind of victory is 'glorious'?

If you die and enough people are watching, then you become a martyr, you become a hero, you become well-known.

A measure of victory has been won, and honors have been bestowed in token thereof. But honours fade or are forgotten, and monuments crumble into dust. It is the battle itself that matters - and the battle must go on.

Deathless laurel is the victor's due.