These quotes are from the Historical Book Romance of the 3 Kingdoms. I also added famous sayings people say now about certain aspects of this time, and names of famous events.
1.)Ts'ao Ts'ao: "I would rather betray the world then let the world betray me..."
2.)Tung Cho: "The Empire is in my hands! and I choose to do what I want, who will dare say nay? Think you my sword lacks and edge?"
Yuan Shao: "If your sword is sharp, mine is never blunt!"
3.)Ch'en Kung: "Ts'ao Ts'ao is able enough to rule the world...But wicked enough to destroy it..."
4.)...The arrow hit Hsiahou Tun full in the left eye. He shrieked, and putting up his head, pulled out the arrow and with it the eye. "Essence of my father, blood of my mother, I cannot throw this away!" He cried, and he put the eye into his mouth and swallowed it...
5.)Chou Yu once used a plan where he would beat a loyal officer (Huang Kai) and send him to the enemy as a deserter. And people now say this..."One is willing to do the beating...They other is willing to be beaten..."
6.)...The servants pointed out a mass of cloud that looked like a dragon hung in the sky. Both Liu Bei and Ts'ao Ts'ao went to the window and leaned over the rail looking at it. "Do you understand the evolutions of dragons?" ask Ts'ao of the guest. "Not in detail.". "A dragon can assume and size, can rise in glory or hide from sight. Bulky, it generates clouds and evolves mist; attenuated, it can scracely hide a mustard stalk or conceal a shadow. Mounting, it can soar to the empyrean; subsiding, it lurks in the uttermost depths of the ocean. This is the midspring season and the dragon chooses this moment for his transformations, like a man realising his desires and overrunning the world. The dragon among animals compares with the hero among men. you, Yuan-Te, with your experience must know who are the heroes of the present day and I wish you would say who they are.". "How can a dullard like me know such things?". "Do not be so modest.". "thanks to your kindly protection I have a post at court But as to heroes I really do not know who they are.". "You may have looked upon their faces, but you have heard their names." "Yuan Shu, with his resources; is he one?". His host laughed, "A rotting bone in a graveyard. I shall put him out of the way shortly.". "Well, Yuan Shao then. The highest offices of state have been held in his family for four generations and his clients are many. He is firmly posted in Ichou and he commands the services of many able men. Surely he is one." "A bully, but a coward; he is fond of grandiose schemes, but is devoid of decision; he makes for great things but grudges the necessary toil. He loses sight of everything else in view of a little present advantage. He is not one.". "There is Liu Ching-Sheng. He is renowned as a man of perfection, whose fame has spread on all sides. Surely he is a hero.". "He is a mere semblance, a man of vain reputation. No; not he.". "Sun Ts'e is a sturdy sort, the cheif of all in the east. Is he a hero?". "He has profited by his father's reputation; he is no hero.". "What of Liu Chang?". "Though he is of the reigning family, he is nothing more than a watch dog. How could you make a hero of him?". "What about Chang Hsiu, Chang Lu, han Sui and all those?". Ts'ao clapped his hands and luaghed very loudly. "Paltry people like them are not worth mentioning.". "With these exceptions I really know none.". "Now heroes are men who cherish lofty designs in their bosoms and have plans to achieve them; they have all-embracing schemes and the whole world is at their mercy." "Who is such a man?" said yuan-Te. "Ts'ao pointed his finger first at his guest and then at himself, saying, "The only heroes in the world are you and I." Yuan-Te gasped and the spoon and chopsticks rattled to the floor. Now just at that moment the storm burst with a tremendous peal of thunder and rush of rain. Yuan-Te stooped down to recover the fallen articles, saying, "what a shock! And it was quite close." "What! are your afraid of thunder?" said Ts'ao. Yuan-Te replied, "The wise man paled at a sudden peal of thunder or fierce gust of wind. Why should one not fear?". Thus he glossed over the real fact, that it was the words he had heard that had so startled him...[This is known as Ts'ao Ts'ao discusses heroes with Liu Bei]
7.) Chou Yu:"O god, since thou madest me; why didst thou also create Chuko Leung?" [These were Chou Yu's last words before he died]
8.)Sima Yi:"While he lived I could guess what he would do; Dead, I was helpless..." The people had a saying that a dead Chuko was enough to scare off a live Sima.
MORE TO COME LATER!