Top 200 John Flanagan Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “Don’t practice until you get it right, practice until you never get it wrong.”

— John Flanagan

2. “Never give up because, if an opportunity arises, you have to be ready to take it.”

— John Flanagan

3. “Once you best a man, never gloat. Be generous and find something in his actions to praise. He won’t enjoy being bested but he’ll make a good face about it. Show him you appreciate it. Praise can win you a friend. Gloating will only ever make enemies.”

— John Flanagan

4. “An ordinary archer practices until he gets it right. A ranger practices until he never gets it wrong.”

— John Flanagan

5. “Failure is just a few seconds away from success.”

— John Flanagan

6. “A good leader is someone who knows what he’s bad at, and hires someone who’s good at it to take care of it for him.”

— John Flanagan

7. “Do a few simple things really well, instead of a lot of complicated maneuvers that can go wrong in the heat of battle.”

— John Flanagan

8. “Now I know that if you wait until you think you are ready, you’ll wait your whole life.”

— John Flanagan

9. “You can always win points; winning people’s respect is a lot more important.”

— John Flanagan

10. “Sometimes I’m so devious I confuse myself.”

— John Flanagan

11. “Remember no one expects you to be Halt. He’s a legend, after all. Haven’t you heard? He’s eight feet tall and kills bears with his bare hands...”

— John Flanagan

12. “What a brotherband!” he declared. “A thief, a touchy first mate, a shortsighted bear, a joker, two twins who can’t tell each other apart, a bookworm and a skirl who doesn’t know the right shape for a ship’s sail.” He beamed at all of them, then added, “I can’t think of better qualities in a wolfship’s crew.”

— John Flanagan

13. “It’s a sword, not a fairy wand, you know.”

— John Flanagan

14. “If you wait till you think you are ready, you’ll wait all your life.”

— John Flanagan

15. “You spoil your horse, Halt said. Will glanced at him. You spoil yours. Halt considered the thought, then nodded. That’s true.”

— John Flanagan

16. “This Lady Pauline,” he began, “she must be a fearful person. She sounds like a terrible sorceress.” His face was deadpan, but Will sensed the underlying amusement and replied in kind. “She’s very slim and beautiful. But she has amazing power. Some time ago, she persuaded Halt to have a haircut for their wedding.” Malcolm, who had noticed Halt’s decidedly slapdash hair styling, raised his eyebrows. “A sorceress indeed.”

— John Flanagan

17. “One man may be deceit. Two can be conspiracy. Three is the number I trust.”

— John Flanagan

18. “Only a fool thinks he knows everything.”

— John Flanagan

19. “I’ll be fine. I’m a big boy now, you know.”

— John Flanagan

20. “I will remember this word,” he said. “Shenanigans. It is a good word.”

— John Flanagan

21. “When you can’t see the reason for something, look for the possible result – and ask yourself who might benefit from it.”

— John Flanagan

22. “Allow doubt to enter your mind, and the doubt will become self-fulfilling.”

— John Flanagan

23. “Halt and Gilan looked at him, then looked at each other, and said in chorus: “You’re an apprentice. You’re not ready to think.” Then.”

— John Flanagan

24. “Forty, sleepy, overweight, comfortable Arridi townsmen, who hadn’t fought a real engagment in twenty years or more, wouldn’t provide much resistance to thirty yelling, fiendish, bloodthirsty, gold crazed Skandians who would come screaming up from the beach like the hounds of hell.”

— John Flanagan

25. “But then, in his lifetime, Halt had often ignored what was technically legal. Technicalities didn’t appeal to him. All too often, they simply got in the way of doing the right thing.”

— John Flanagan

26. “In the time she had been with him, she had never before heard him snore. “You’re faking,” she said. “No. I’m really fast asleep,” came his voice from under the cowl.”

— John Flanagan

27. “Face your fears, Halt had always thought him, and more often than not they fade like mist in the sunshine.”

— John Flanagan

28. “I said you were Sir Horace of the Order of the Oakleaf,” Halt told him, then added uncertainly, “At least, I think that’s what I told him. I may have said you were of the Order of the Oak Pancake.” Horace.”

— John Flanagan

29. “Oh, it’s a case of ‘they think I’ll think that they’ll do A, so they’ll do B because I wouldn’t think they’d think of that but then because I might think I know what they’re thinking they’ll do A after all because I wouldn’t think they’d think that way,’ Will said.”

— John Flanagan

30. “Sometimes, life threw up problems that even the wisest, most trusted mentor couldn’t solve for you. It was part of the pain of growing up. And having to stand by and watch was part of being a mentor.”

— John Flanagan

31. “It’s surprising how often history is decided by something as trival as bad shellfish.”

— John Flanagan

32. “I am the lord of Redmont Fief. He is my tenant. I am his commander. End of story. Ipso facto. Case-o closed-o.”

— John Flanagan

33. “Nothing like a little wanton destruction to get boys excited, Thorn thought, smiling to himself.”

— John Flanagan

34. “I kept hearing rumors about two madcap youngsters who were recruiting former Rangers with an eye to confronting Morgarath,” he said. “Apparently, one of them is a grumpy Hibernian and the other is a redheaded prankster. Imagine my surprise when I heard it was you two.”

— John Flanagan

35. “It’s only cheating if you’re caught doing it. Otherwise, it’s good tactics.”

— John Flanagan

36. “Halt, for his part, said nothing. But when Will turned to look at his mentor, the grizzled Ranger met his eye, and simply nodded. And that, Will knew, was the equivalent of three hearty cheers from Halt.”

— John Flanagan

37. “There’s nothing honerable in a man who hides behind a blue woman’s hanky.”

— John Flanagan

38. “I’ll think of something,” he temporized, and Horace nodded wisely, satisfied that Halt would indeed think of something. In Horace’s world, that was what Rangers did best, and the best thing a warrior apprentice could do was let the Ranger get on with thinking while a warrior took care of walloping anyone who needed to be walloped along the way. He settled back in the saddle, contented with his lot in life.”

— John Flanagan

39. “The dog, he thought, was wiser and more kindly natured than he was.”

— John Flanagan

40. “You know us Rangers,” Gilan replied. “We’re notoriously bad when it comes to obeying orders.”

— John Flanagan

41. “I’m too set in my ways to start doing the right thing,” he complained. “You’re a bad influence, Horace.”

— John Flanagan

42. “My father replaced the handle and I replaced the head,’ he said. ‘But otherwise, it’s completely original.”

— John Flanagan

43. “Will raised both eyebrows. ‘Well, you learn a new thing everyday,’ he said reflectively. ‘In your case, that’s no exaggeration,’ Halt said, completely straight-faced.”

— John Flanagan

44. “It was ten against ten. So, as Svengal later recounted, it was no contest. He had the enemy outnumbered three to one.”

— John Flanagan

45. “Bumper came as near to shrugging as a horse can manage. If you can dress up like a glorified dressmaker’s dummy, I suppose I can carry a few parcels.”

— John Flanagan

46. “Halt Halt,” said Gilan stepping out into the open.”

— John Flanagan

47. “Relax? he repeated incredulously. You’re going to fight an armored knight with nothing more than a bow and you tell me to relax? I’ll have one or two arrows as well, you know, Halt told him mildly, and Horace shook his head in disbelief.”

— John Flanagan

48. “The point of this is, accidents happen. People tread on you. Nanny goats chew your hair.”

— John Flanagan

49. “When Halt was in a bad mood, he invariably paid careful attention to his grammar.”

— John Flanagan

50. “The mace prodded Will in the back again. That little habit was starting to annoy him and he was tempted to take the weapon from the sergeant major and do a little prodding of his own.”

— John Flanagan