In my DH game, I've always liked to preface each chapter or mission with a somewhat relevant Thought for the Day and have quite a collection built up thanks to the Lexicanum. However, most all of those seem very strait-edged pious servant of the throne kinds of TftD's. So, I was wondering what ones exist that have a more Rogue Trader bent to them and, if none presently do, then can anyone come up with any that would be appropriate to Rogue Trader and it's themes?

Live fast, die old and leave a good looking yacht.

(That's always been my personal motto, anyway...)

Thought for the Day: Power Corrupts?

“One must always be prepared for the liberation of treasure”

“But will you live to see my victory”

“Hard currency or death to all”

"Yarr! ****, Pillage and Plunder"

"The Enemy of my Enemy is a problem for later; in the meantime, they might be useful"

"A soft answer turneth away Wrath. When Wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head"

"Your Name is in the mouth of others. Make sure it has teeth"

"A little trust goes a long way. The less you use, the further you'll go"

Alasseo I see you like the seven habits of highly effective pirates as well.

Some ones that I think fit from that list

"Pillage then burn."

"Close air support covereth a multitude of sins."
"If violence wasn’t your last resort, you failed to resort to enough of it."
"Mockery and derision have their place. Usually, it's on the far side of the airlock."

"Do unto others."
"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Take his fish away and tell him he's lucky just to be alive, and he'll figure out how to catch another one for you to take tomorrow."
"Don't be afraid to be the first to resort to violence."
"The enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy. No more. No less."
"Only cheaters prosper."
"That which does not kill you has made a tactical error."
"Just because it's easy for you doesn't mean it can't be hard on your clients."

Some from me and my gaming group

"Global genocide means never having to say your sorry"

"Never let morals get in the way of profit"

"Shoot first don't bother to ask questions"

"Always getting revenge eventually means that you don't have to"

This is all great stuff so far! Thanks guys! This, however...

Erretnorb said:

...is bumper-sticker worthy

After posting this thread, another source of more RT friendly TftD's occurred to me. There's all kinds of neat little fictional quites from various fictitious figures heading up a lot of the sections and sub-sections of the book. While most are a bit wordy for a TftD, they could be dissected and distilled down, which is what I've started doing. I haven't too far yet, but what i do have is:

To gain a throne, you must posses a throne

The galaxy is a midden scattered with the bones of humanity's glory

I have seen what the rewards of freedom are: the screams of those not allowed to die, the drip of blood, and the howling of hungry things on the edge of sight.

Any who set out on a course from the ravings of prophets and witches are already lost, and any who voyage with them are fools.

False belief undoes the virtue of any endeavor, and consumes the greatest of achievements.

When dreams go astray, it is best to leave them alone.

Pride has conducted us unto death, and torment awaits all who fallow in our steps

There is no crime too terrible, nor act so monstrous that man will not commit given a sufficiency of conviction and self interest

Granted, they're no where near as amusing as the ones you guys have been comming up with, but they work I reckon. More to come when time permits.

Knowlegde is power, let none know thy sercet.

Hinting that your battleship can destoy citys, is a perfectly fine trade argument for a one time deal or in any hostile negotiations.

I am free of crime and sin, all i do i do to serve the imperium.

Well a few from me..oO

"Say hello to my little friend..."

"Might is not a right, but a priveledge"

"Where there's muck there's brass"

"It is better to run away and live to return with a bigger fleet, than to simply run away"

Good proverbs attributed to Valsh Tenax 4th Rogue Trader of the Tenax dynasty

You can get more done with a Smile and Boltgun than with just a Boltgun

If it looks like xeno, walks like xeno and talks like xeno then it probably dies like a xeno.

A digilaser on your hand is worth two on the ship.

Sometimes its just better the macro the city before talking thrones.

Inquisition outside the maw acts with his left hand, but inside the maw I speak with his fraggin voice.

Orks love war and death. Be VERY generous.

Sometimes you just have to do the job yourself.

"you keep saying 'heresy', but all I hear is 'profit'"

"go where no man has gone before...the other places have already been looted"

"There are three things you can never have enough of: Money, Guns, and courage"

"if it the last step is 'profit' the other steps do not matter"

Hard work conquers everything.

Know your destination before you set out.

Ruthlessness is the kindness of the wise.

The cosmos cries out for salvation.

"If in doubt, grenade it out."

"Nuke it from orbit, its the only way to be sure."

"If you want to understand a man, walk a mile in his shoes. Then at least you'll be a mile away and you'll have his shoes!"

"deamonic incusions and mutiny during wap travel at the same moment is one of the greatest and most deadly of matings the warp can throw at you"

"in the mind of a daemon, astropaths and navigators are tasty and are always the first to be eaten"

"trying to open a adamantium bulkhead with an inferno pistol is not a good idea"

"Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity."

"Anything worth doing is worth doing for money."

"There is no substitute for success."

"The riskier the job, the greater the profit."

"Never trust a person more well dressed than yourself."

"The bigger the smile, the sharper the vibro-blade."

"Beware the Machine Cult's greed for knowledge."

"As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it cannot be used to solve approaches zero"

"Sacrificing minions. Is there any problem it can't solve?"

"Servitors: 100% post-consumer human. Reduce, re-use, rebuild"

Hell hath no fury like a scorned Planetary Governor

One man's opportunism is another mans statesmanship.

There's no such thing as a free ration of corpse starch

Achieving Profit is not the same as avoiding Loss

Thrones are a barometer of a societies virtue*

*(all gleefully and sarcastically stolen from Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman)

"There is no value in lost lives . . . Bwahahahahahahaha, that's just ridiculous!!"

" Our Emperor, who art on Holy Terra,

Hallowed be thy Name.Thy Empire come.Thy Psykik will be done,On Holy Terra as it is in the Imperium.Give us this day our daily Thrones.And forgive us our man, many trespasses,As we bring quick death to those who trespass against us.And lead us into profitable temptation,But deliver us from the warp.For thine is the kingdom,and the power, and the glory,for ever and ever.Amen."

"All men by nature desire Profit"

"A Starship must not waiver once it has chosen its course. It must not look to port or to starboard but go forward."

"War is the continuation of commerce by other means!"

It's not illegal if you dont get caught

Human life is the most precious commodity in the universe. Be sure to be paid well for taking it.

You best honor your ancestors by not joining them.

Generosity begets ingratitude.

Answer only to the God-Emperor and your own conscience.

Blessed is the mind too small for doubt, for it will buy whatever you are selling.

The wages of sin is death, but so is the salary of virtue, and the wicked get to sleep in on Sundays.

Why not use some genuine Machiavelli quotes? Written during the 1500s, still going strong ... ;-)

"A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise."

"Before all else, be armed."

"Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage."

"Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil."

"If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared."

"It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both."

"It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver. "

"Men rise from one ambition to another: first, they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others."

"Never was anything great achieved without danger. "

"Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain."

"Politics have no relation to morals."

"The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous. "

"The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him. "

"The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present."

"The wise man does at once what the fool does finally."

A fool with money is excellent to trade with.

If at first you don't succeed, use a bigger gun.

Opportunities multiply as they are seized.

The skilful employer of men will employ the wise man, the brave man, the covetous man, and the stupid man.

It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on.

We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.

Sun Tzu