Stealth. Cunning. Hoods. These are the traits most readily associated with the cast of Ubisoft's monumentally successful Assassin's Creed games. But lurking amongst the hide-and-go-sneak action is a veritable treasure trove of gaming wisdom offered up by the series' characters.
From philosophical musings to weighty quips, this gallery collects together the wisest words from the Assassin's Creed canon.
Did we miss any of your favourite gems? Let us know in the comments below.
Altaïr Ibn La'Ahad
Only a mind free of impediments is capable of grasping the chaotic beauty of the world.
Thomas Hickey
We're different, you and I. You're just some blind fool, who's always chasing butterflies. Whereas I'm the type of guy, who likes to have a beer in one hand, and a titty in the other. Thing is, boy... I can have what I seek. Had it, even. You? Your hands will always be empty.
Clay Kaczmarek
What is a man but the sum of his memories? We are the stories we live, the tales we tell ourselves.
Yusuf Tazim
Even in times of peace, the poor are always under siege.
Benjamin Church
It's all a matter of perspective. There is no single path through life that's right and fair and does no harm.
Abbas
Silence is just another form of a sin.
Manuel Palailogos
Trust without cynicism is hollow.
Ezio Auditore Da Firenze
When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it. And I had love, but I did not feel it. Many decades would pass before I understood the meaning of all three. And now, in the twilight of my life, this understanding has passed into contentment.
Assassin's Creed maxim
Nothing is true, everything is permitted
Al Mualim
I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceive that this also was a chasing at the wind. For in much wisdom, is much grief. And he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad & Jubair Al-Hakim
Altaïr: Men must be free to do what they believe. It is not our right to punish them for thinking what they do, no matter how much we disagree.
Jubair: Then what?
Altaïr: You of all people should know the answer. Educate them. Teach them right from wrong. It must be knowledge that frees them, not force.
Bartolomeo d'Alviano
There will come a day in which men no longer cheat each other. And on that day we will see what mankind is truly capable of.
Haytham Kenway
The people never have the power, only the illusion of it. And here is the real secret: they don't want it. The responsibility is too great to bear. It's why they are so quick to fall in line as soon as someone else takes charge. They want to be told what to do. They yearn for it. Little wonder that, since all mankind was built to serve.
Maria de' Mozzi & Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Maria de' Mozzi: You need a more creative outlet.
Ezio Auditore da Firenze: I have plenty of outlets...
Maria de' Mozzi: I meant besides vaginas.
Tamir the Merchant
Such pride... it will destroy you child.
Juno
It is the cruelest fate, to have written words that meant well - and see them made wicked and unwise. What was meant to encourage life - used instead to justify taking it!
Garnier De Naplouse
It's not what I believe... it's what I know.
Altaïr Ibn La'Ahad
We are what we choose to be.
Al Mualim
Information learned is more valuable than information given.
Ezio Auditore Da Firenze
To say that nothing is true is to realise that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization. To say that everything is permitted is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with our consequences, whether glorious or tragic.
