“It behooves us ill to look back and point fingers, saying, ‘Ah, that should not have happened. That should not have been allowed.’ Such a perspective is granted only to men staring backward, Sir William. For those of us with the will to go forward, it is as if we walk blindfolded into a dark room. Not every false step or stumble can be judged after the moment has passed, nor should it be.”

“It behooves us ill to look back and point fingers, saying, ‘Ah, that should not have happened. That should not have been allowed.’ Such a perspective is granted only to men staring backward, Sir William. For those of us with the will to go forward, it is as if we walk blindfolded into a dark room. Not every false step or stumble can be judged after the moment has passed, nor should it be.”

— Conn Iggulden