Thomas Malory Quotes

Thomas Malory offers grand, plain-spoken tales of knights and love that whisk you to mythic England.

38 quotes

1. It befell in the days of Uther Pendragon, when he was king of all England, and so reigned, that there was a mighty duke in Cornwall that held war against him long time. And the duke was called the duke of Tintagil.

2. Well, said Merlin, I know whom thou seekest, for thou seekest Merlin; therefore seek no farther, for I am he.

3. Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is rightwise King born of all England.

4. In the midst of the lake Arthur was are of an arm clothed in white samite, that held a fair sword in that hand.

5. With that truncheon thou hast slain a good knight, and now it sticketh in thy body.

6. Knight, keep well thy head, for thou shalt have a buffet for the slaying of my horse.

7. Always Sir Arthur lost so much blood that it was a marvel he stood on his feet, but he was so full of knighthood that knightly he endured the pain.

8. What, nephew, said the king, is the wind in that door?

9. The joy of love is too short, and the sorrow thereof, and what cometh thereof, dureth over long.

10. The month of May was come, when every lusty heart beginneth to blossom, and to bring forth fruit; for like as herbs and trees bring forth fruit and flourish in May, in likewise every lusty heart that is in any manner a lover, springeth and flourisheth in lusty deeds. For it giveth unto all lovers courage, that lusty month of May.

11. Nowadays men cannot love seven night but they must have all their desires: that love may not endure by reason; for where they be soon accorded and hasty, heat soon it cooleth. Right so fareth love nowadays, soon hot soon cold: this is no stability. But the old love was not so.

12. All ye that be lovers call unto your remembrance the month of May, like as did Queen Guenever, for whom I make here a little mention, that while she lived she was a true lover, and therefore she had a good end.

13. I shall curse you with book and bell and candle.

14. Through this man (Launcelot) and me (Guenever) hath all this war been wrought, and the death of the most noblest knights of the world; for through our love that we have loved together is my most noble lord slain.

15. For as well as I have loved thee, mine heart will not serve me to see thee, for through thee and me is the flower of kings and knights destroyed.

16. Then Sir Launcelot saw her visage, but he wept not greatly, but sighed.

17. Thou Sir Launcelot, there thou liest, that thou were never matched of earthly knight's hand. And thou were the courteoust knight that ever bare shield. And thou were the truest friend to thy lover that ever bestrad horse. And thou were the truest lover of a sinful man that ever loved woman. And thou were the kindest man that ever struck with sword. And thou were the goodliest person that ever came among press of knights. And thou were the meekest man and the gentlest that ever ate in hall among ladies. And thou were the sternest knight to thy mortal foe that ever put spear in the rest.

18. For herein may be seen noble chivalry, courtesy, humanity, friendliness, hardiness, love, friendship, cowardice, murder, hate, virtue, and sin. Do after the good and leave the evil, and it shall bring you to good fame and renown.

19. In our forefathers' time...few books were read in our tongue, saving certain books of Chivalry...as one for example, Morte Arthure: the whole pleasure of which book standeth in two special points, in open manslaughter, and bold bawdry: In which book those be counted the noblest Knights, that do kill most men without any quarrel, and commit foulest adulteries by subtlest shifts...This is good stuff for wise men to laugh at, or honest men to take pleasure at. Yet I know, when God's Bible was banished the Court, and Morte Arthure received into the Prince's chamber.

20. Malory's description of himself as 'the servant of Jesu both day and night' has been assumed to imply that he was a priest, but his description of himself as a 'knight' confutes the suggestion. Pious ejaculation at the conclusion of their labours is characteristic of medieval authors.

21. Luminarium: Works of Sir Thomas Malory

22. Sir Thomas Malory Society

23. Caxton Edition, in Middle English at the University of Michigan

24. For, as I suppose, no man in this world hath lived better than I have done, to achieve that I have done.

25. Then he looked by him, and was ware of a damsel that came riding as fast as her horse might gallop upon a fair palfrey. And when she espied that Sir Lanceor was slain, then she made sorrow out of measure, and said, O Balin ! two bodies hast thou slain and one heart, and two hearts in one body, and two souls thou hast lost.

26. King Pellinore that time followed the questing beast.

27. And much more am I sorrier for my good knights' loss than for the loss of my fair queen; for queens I might have enough, but such a fellowship of good knights shall never be together in no company.

28. It was the month of May, the month when the foliage of herbs and trees is most freshly green, when buds ripened and blossoms appear in their fragrance and loveliness. And the month when lovers, subject to the same force which reawakens the plants, feel their hearts open again, recall past trysts and past vows, and moments of tenderness, and yearn for a renewal of the magical awareness which is love.

29. This beast went to the well and drank, and the noise was in the beast's belly like unto the questing of thirty couple hounds, but all the while the beast drank there was no noise in the beast's belly.

30. The sweetness of love is short-lived, but the pain endures.

31. Yet some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead, but had by the will of our Lord Jesu into another place; and men say that he shall come again, and he shall win the holy cross.

32. For love that time was not as love is nowadays.

33. The very purpose of a knight is to fight on behalf of a lady.

34. The month of May was come, when every lusty heart beginneth to blossom, and to bring forth fruit.

35. Wit thou well that I will not live long after thy days.

36. “I shall bere your noble fame, for ye spake a grete worde and fulfilled it worshipfully.”

37. We shall now seek that which we shall not find

38. “for it is better that we slay a coward, than through a coward all we to be slain.”