#emperor

Oh, but once my memories had pulsed with the blood-heat of life. In desperation, I forced myself to recall that once, I had walked with kings and conversed in languages never heard in this land. Once I had stood at the prow of a Sea Wolf ship and sailed oceans unknown to seamen here. I had ridden horses through desert lands, and dined on exotic foods in Arab tents. I had roamed Constantinople’s fabled streets, and bowed before the Holy Roman Emperor’s throne. I had been a slave, a spy, a sailor. Advisor and confidant of lords, I had served Arabs, Byzantines, and barbarians. I had worn captive’s rags, and the silken robes of a Sarazen prince. Once I had held a jeweled knife and taken a life with my own hand. Yes, and once I had held a loving woman in my arms and kissed her warm and willing lips...Death would have been far, far better than the gnawing, aching emptiness that was now my life. ↗

— Stephen R. Lawhead

#despair #holy-roman-emperor #memories #death

The emperor is naked!" The parade stopped. The emperor paused. A hush fell over the crowd, until one quick-thinking peasant shouted: "No, he isn't. The emperor is merely endorsing a clothing-optional lifestyle! ↗

— James Finn Garner

#emeror-s-new-clothes #emperor #fairytales #humour #politically-correct

I drink a bucket of white tea in the morning. I read about this tea of the Emperor of China, which is supposedly the tea of eternal youth. It's called Silver Needle. It's unbelievably expensive, but I get it on the Web. ↗

— Antonio Banderas

#bucket #called #china #drink #emperor

The fact that I was a girl never damaged my ambitions to be a pope or an emperor. ↗

— Willa Cather

#emperor #fact #girl #i #never

Name me an emperor who was ever struck by a cannonball. ↗

— Charles V

#emperor #ever #me #name #struck

I would prefer to be a citizen of an independent country rather than Emperor of an enslaved one. ↗

— Bao Dai

#country #emperor #enslaved #i #independent

Yesterday we obeyed kings and bent our necks before emperors. But today we kneel only to truth, follow only beauty, and obey only love. ↗

— Khalil Gibran

#before #bent #emperors #follow #kings

The governments of the present day have to deal not merely with other governments, with emperors, kings and ministers, but also with the secret societies which have everywhere their unscrupulous agents, and can at the last moment upset all the governments' plans. ↗

— Benjamin Disraeli

#also #day #deal #emperors #everywhere

As I was working I noticed that the way I designed the differential gearing actually created a spare drive that sat directly below the emperor's feet, or where they would be if he were to sit in the chariot. ↗

— Kit Williams

#below #chariot #created #designed #differential

The German Emperor is ageing me; he is like a battleship with steam up and screws going, but with no rudder, and he will run into something some day and cause a catastrophe. ↗

— Edward Grey

#catastrophe #cause #day #emperor #german