{"author":"Timothy Zahn","author_id":"Timothy+Zahn","total_quotes":43,"quotes":[{"text":"All strive for victory. But not all understand what it truly is. To a soldier or pilot on the line, victory is surviving the current battle. To a politician, victory is an advantage one can bring to a bargaining table. To a warrior, victory is driving an enemy from the field of battle, or bringing him to surrender.Sometimes victory is greater than the warrior could ever hope for.Sometimes it is more than he is able to hear.","author":"Timothy Zahn","tags":["genius","star-wars","thrawn"],"id":4020,"author_id":"Timothy+Zahn"},{"text":"All beings begin their lives with hope and aspirations. Among these aspirations is the desire that there will be a straight path to those goals. It is seldom so. Perhaps never. Sometimes the turns are of one's own volition, as one's thoughts and goals change over time. But more often the turns are mandated by outside forces.It was so with me. The memory is vivid, unsullied by age: the five admirals rising from their chairs as I am escorted into the chamber. The decision of the Ascendancy has been made, and they are here to deliver it.None of them is happy with the decision. I can read that in their faces. But they are officers and servants of the Chiss, and they will carry out their orders. Protocol alone demands that.The word is as I expected.Exile.The planet has already been chosen. The Aristocra will assemble the equipment necessary to endure that solitude does not quickly become Death from predators or the elements.I am led away. Once again, my path has turned.Where it will lead, I cannot say.","author":"Timothy Zahn","tags":["genius","star-wars","thrawn"],"id":14668,"author_id":"Timothy+Zahn"},{"text":"There are three ways to take down a wild tusklan.The average hunter takes a large-bore weapon with which to shoot the animal. When it works, the method is quick and efficient. But if the first shot fails to hit a vital organ, the tusklan may be upon its attackerbfore a second shot can be aimed and fired.The wise hunter takes a smaller-bore weapon. The method is less likely to produce a first-shot kill, but the second, third, or fourth shot may succeed. However if the bore is to small, none of the shots will penetrate to vital points, and the tusklan will again triumph over its attacker.The subtle hunter takes no visible weapon at all. He instead induces a thousand sting flies to attack the tusklan from all sides. The method is slow, and destructive of the pelt. But in the end, the tusklan is dead. And dies never knowing where the attack came from.","author":"Timothy Zahn","tags":["genius","hunting","star-wars","thrawn"],"id":35038,"author_id":"Timothy+Zahn"},{"text":"No battle plan can anticipate all contingencies. There are always unexpected factors including those stemming from the opponent's initiative. A battle must thus becomes a balance between plan and improvisation, between error and correction.It is a narrow line. But it is a line one's opponent must also walk. For all the balance of experience and cleverness, it is often the warrior who acts quickest who will prevail.","author":"Timothy Zahn","tags":["genius","star-wars","thrawn"],"id":43319,"author_id":"Timothy+Zahn"},{"text":"There are times in every commander's life when he must yield the stick of authority to a subordinate.Sometimes the reason is one of expertise, when the subordinate has skills the commander lacks. Sometimes it is positional, when the subordinate is in the right place at the right and the commander is not. Often it is anticipated there will be loss of direct communication, which means the subordinate may be given general instructions but must then carry them out on his own initiative as the situation flows around him.No commander enjoys those moments. Most subordinates fear them, as well. Those who do no fear already betray the overconfidence that nearly always leads to disaster.But the moments must be faced. And all will learn from them, whether to satisfaction or to sorrow.","author":"Timothy Zahn","tags":["genius","star-wars","thrawn"],"id":51824,"author_id":"Timothy+Zahn"},{"text":"She was here, and it was now; and as the emperor's instructors had so often drummed into her, the first item of business was to fit into her surroundings. And that meant not looking like an escapee from the medical ward.","author":"Timothy Zahn","tags":["mara-jade","science-fiction","star-wars"],"id":56413,"author_id":"Timothy+Zahn"},{"text":"One of the first rules the Emperor had drummed into her [Mara Jade] so long ago was to blend in as best she could with her surroundings.","author":"Timothy Zahn","tags":["science-fiction","scifi","star-wars"],"id":73894,"author_id":"Timothy+Zahn"},{"text":"A life path may change because of important decisions or events. Those were what drove my current path.But sometimes the smallest event can also drive a turn. In the case of Eli Vanto, that force was a single, overheard word.Chiss. Where had Cadet Vanto heard that name? What did it mean to him? He had already spoken one reason, but there might well be others. Indeed, the full truth might have several layers. But what were they?On a ship as large as this, there was only one practical way to find out.Thus did my path take yet another turn. As, certainly, did his.","author":"Timothy Zahn","tags":["genius","star-wars","thrawn"],"id":74985,"author_id":"Timothy+Zahn"},{"text":"Still, even when false, legends can be most informative.","author":"Timothy Zahn","tags":["legends","religion","science-fiction","star-wars"],"id":103586,"author_id":"Timothy+Zahn"},{"text":"One is born with a unique set of talents and abilities. One must choose which of those talents to nurture, which to ignore completely.Sometimes the choice is obvious. Other times, the hints and proddings are more obscure. Then, one may need to undergo several regiments of training and sample several different professions before determining where one's strongest talents lie. This is the driving force behind many life-path alterations,There are few sets of skills that match only one specific job. More often they are are adaptable to many different professions. Sometimes, one can plan such a change. Other times, the change appears without warning. In both instances, one must be alert and carefully consider all options. Not very change is a step forward.","author":"Timothy Zahn","tags":["genius","star-wars","thrawn"],"id":105304,"author_id":"Timothy+Zahn"}],"pagination":{"page":1,"page_size":10,"total":43,"pages":5,"next":"?page=2\u0026page_size=10"}}