The newly-minted captain admits the irony between the gold on his shoulders and the lack of gold in his pockets.

The Navy speaks in symbols and you may suit what meaning you choose to the words.

Most men find [peace] entirely unlike what they had expected - like love...

The author says that when an angry impulse is not immediately expressed, it turns to melancholy.

The newly-minted captain is told to let nothing stop him but to do nothing that would risk his ship or his crew.

What's wrong with (Captain) Jack Aubrey?""Everything, since he has a command and I have not.

I'm very hard on myself when it comes to writing.

Welcome to Hollywood, a land just off the coast of planet Earth. I am never quite certain if I am visiting the zoo, or if I'm one of the animals in a cage.

My aim was to safeguard justice, without doing harm to our war effort.

What happens tomorrow is but the shadow of thoughts we held today.

Though he love not to buy the pig in the poke.

I would never wear fur.

Pretending is a very valuable life skill.

A timeless lesson for a deeply fulfilling life is to discover your calling, that special work or consuming occupation that fully engages your special talents with your passions.

The stats win nothing. I'm still sexy. I'm still great.

I had all my own teeth and I wanted to keep it that way.