Captain Horatio Hornblower

"A burning town is a magnificent sight!"

"Our mission here is over, gentlemen. I would like to thank you all for the way you have ...carried out your duties. Mr Gerard! I told you to clear the decks for action in ten minutes! [Gerard looks at Hornblower apprehensively] You did it in eight."

"Three months ago, the Spanish viceroy sent a diplomat who warned me to curb my political ambitions. In answer, I sent part of him back to Panama - his head, to be precise."

"[On his way to Paris with Hornblower to be executed as a spy] Well, I expected to lose my leg, sir... but not all the way up to the neck."