“The greatest happiness is to vanquish your enemies, to chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see those dear to them bathed in tears, to clasp to your bosom their wives and daughters.”

A man’s greatest joy is crushing his enemies.

Those who were adept and brave fellows I have made military commanders. Those who were quick and nimble I have made herders of horses. Those who were not adept I have given a small whip and sent to be shepherds.

The merit in action lies in finishing it to the end.

Come and sip from the cup of destruction.

Remember, you have no companions but your shadow.

I am the punishment of God, If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.

Be of one mind and one faith, that you may conquer your enemies and lead long and happy lives.

It is not sufficient that I succeed – all others must fail.

Conquering the world on horseback is easy; it is dismounting and governing that is hard.

In the space of seven years I have succeeded in accomplishing a great work and uniting the whole world in one Empire.

Despite all expectations, the time of my last campaign and of my passing is near. I wish to die at home. Let not my end disarm you, and on no account weep for me, lest the enemy be warned of my death.

There is no good in anything until it is finished.

Man’s greatest joy is to slay his enemy, plunder his riches, ride his steeds, see the tears of his loved ones and embrace his women.

Just as God gave different fingers to the hand so has He given different ways to men.

One arrow alone can be easily broken but many arrows are indestructible.

A leader can never be happy until his people are happy.

There is no greater folly in the world than for a man to despair.

How could science be an enemy of religion when God commanded man to be a scientist the day He told him to rule the earth and subject it?

My dad raised me with some good advice: ‘Always tell the truth. Always shoot from the hip. You might not have many friends, but you’ll never have enemies, because people will always know where you’re coming from.’

Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the Beloved.

We make our money out of our friends. Our enemies will not do business with us.

The main enemy of the open society, I believe, is no longer the communist but the capitalist threat.

How many are the pains of those who hunger for revenge! They gnaw away at themselves constantly, and they have killed themselves even before they kill their enemies.

We need a common enemy to unite us.