Sagas wouldn't be interesting if terrible things didn't happen to the people in them.

Security is not a license for people in authority to hide the tactics they would never openly admit to using.

He felt the comfort of being part of an eternal cycle symbolized by the gold strips on either side of the black mourning band he wore. Light, dark, light. The dark was just an interval.

There are things we don't do. From this moment forth, let us all ensure our every action reflects well on us and our ancestors. Let us live to the highest standards, lest we win this war only to find ourselves staring in the mirror at the face of our late enemy.

Deplorable practices adopted during the last century were repeatedly declared necessary if regrettable in order to win the war. Oddly enough, we've yet to win. You'd think somebody would have asked before this why the regrettable but necessary measures haven't actually produced the promised results.

You can’t win unless you try to win, but you can lose by trying not to lose.

I need to stop getting into situations where all my options are potentially bad.