“I would rather betray others than let anyone betray me.”

— Cao Cao

“The old warhorse lies in the stable, yet its heart still runs a thousand miles; the hero grows old, but his great ambition never rests.”

— Cao Cao

“With wine before us, we ought to sing. For how long is a life? Like morning dew — and so many days already gone.”

— Cao Cao

“The mountain never refuses more height, nor the sea more depth. The Duke of Zhou spat out his food to welcome talent — and the hearts of the realm turned to him.”

— Cao Cao

“If one must have a son, let him be like Sun Zhongmou. The sons of Liu Biao are no better than dogs and pigs.”

— Cao Cao

“Had the state been without me, who knows how many would have styled themselves emperor, and how many king?”

— Cao Cao

“The heroes of this age are you, my lord, and Cao Cao — no one else. The likes of Yuan Shao do not count.”

— Cao Cao

“Do no evil because it seems small; leave no good undone because it seems slight.”

— Liu Bei

“Having Kongming is like a fish finding water. Speak of it no more.”

— Liu Bei

“If my heir proves worthy of your support, support him. If he lacks the talent — take the throne for yourself.”

— Liu Bei

“Brothers are like hands and feet; wives and children are like clothing. Torn clothes can be mended — but severed limbs can never be rejoined.”

— Liu Bei

“I shall bend my body and spend my utmost strength, ceasing only in death. Success or failure is not mine to foresee.”

— Zhuge Liang

“Without simplicity of heart there is no clarity of purpose; without stillness there is no reaching far.”

— Zhuge Liang

“The late Emperor passed away with his great work not half complete. Now the realm is split in three and Yi Province is exhausted — truly this is the season of survival or ruin.”

— Zhuge Liang

“Keeping worthy ministers close and petty men far — this is why the Former Han flourished. Keeping petty men close and the worthy far — this is why the Later Han declined.”

— Zhuge Liang

“The realm is broken and the war has only begun. If we now abandon the law as well, with what shall we ever defeat the enemy?”

— Zhuge Liang

“Do I ask you to master the classics and become an academician? Only to skim the records of the past. You say you are busy — can you be busier than I?”

— Sun Quan

“When men of purpose part for three days, you must rub your eyes before you look at them again.”

— Lü Meng

“If there is a slip in the music, young master Zhou will turn and look.”

— Zhou Yu

“The house of Han cannot rise again, and Cao Cao cannot be removed overnight. Hold the Southland, my lord, as one leg of the tripod — and watch for the realm’s opening.”

— Lu Su

“At seizing the moment between two battle lines and contending for the realm, you are not my equal. But at raising the worthy, trusting the able, and keeping the Southland — I am not yours.”

— Sun Ce

“Born a man into this world, I should have worn a seven-foot sword and climbed the steps of the Son of Heaven — and now I die with the ambition unfulfilled!”

— Taishi Ci

“Scholar though I am, I bear our lord’s mandate. The state asks you to serve under me because I have something worth taking — the capacity to swallow humiliation and carry a heavy load.”

— Lu Xun

“I know well how generously Lord Cao has treated me. But I owe General Liu a debt of kindness and have sworn to share his death — I cannot turn my back on that. I will repay Lord Cao with a deed of merit, and then I will go.”

— Guan Yu

“How could I give my tiger of a daughter to the son of a dog!”

— Guan Yu

“I am Zhang Yide! Come forward, and let us decide who dies!”

— Zhang Fei

“Zilong’s whole body is nothing but courage!”

— Zhao Yun

“I can predict the living. How am I to predict the dead?”

— Sima Yi

“Yuan Shao carries ten causes of defeat; you, my lord, hold ten causes of victory. However mighty he looks, there is nothing to fear.”

— Guo Jia

“To uphold the sovereign and follow the people’s hopes — that is the great current of things. To win over the bold by fairness — that is the great stratagem.”

— Xun Yu

“Beanstalks burn to boil the beans, and the beans weep inside the pot: born of the very same root — why such haste to cook me through?”

— Cao Zhi

“Chicken ribs seem a pity to throw away, yet yield nothing to eat. His Majesty has likened Hanzhong to them — so we are going home.”

— Yang Xiu

“The affairs of Shun and Yu — now, at last, I understand what they really were.”

— Cao Pi

“By nature I take no pleasure in joining battles — only in breaking them up.”

— Lü Bu

“As a minister I was disloyal, as a son unfilial — death is my due. I ask only to walk out to the execution ground, that the law of arms be made plain.”

— Chen Gong

“In an age of order you would be an able minister; in an age of chaos, a cunning hero.”

— Xu Shao

“I beg Your Majesty to endure this disgrace for a few days more. Your servant means to raise the fallen altars back to safety, and to relight the sun and moon from their darkness.”

— Jiang Wei

“The Azure Heaven is already dead; the Yellow Heaven must now stand. When the jiazi year arrives, all under heaven shall know great fortune.”

— Zhang Jiao

“It is so pleasant here that I do not think of Shu at all.”

— Liu Shan

“With what shall I dissolve this sorrow? There is only Du Kang — only wine.”

— Cao Cao