Peter David

“Noblest. Bravest. What rot. There was no bravery in buying oneself out of difficulty.”

“Only in this world of topsy-turvy attitudes could outright stupidity, such as I had displayed, be something that got me high marks. I had an amused glimmering of a notion at that point: If I ever turned out to be a complete and utter fool, I could wind up running the whole kingdom. It was something to consider.”