For me as a kid, reading cyberpunk was like seeing the world for the first time. Gibson's Neuromancer wasn't just stylistically stunning; it felt like the template for a future that we were actively building. I remember reading Sterling's Islands in the Net and suddenly understanding the disruptive potential of technology once it got out into the street. Cyberpunk felt urgent. It wasn't the future 15 minutes out - it was the future sideswiping you and leaving you in a full-body cast as it passed by.

It’s human nature to tear one another apart. Be glad you come from such a successful line of killers.

Debts are a heavy burden. Throw them off, and you walk free.

Suicide is not something I owe you or yours.

Laws are confusing documents. They get in the way of justice.

Men are loyal when you lead from the front.

Short fiction seems more targeted - hand grenades of ideas, if you will. When they work, they hit, they explode, and you never forget them. Long fiction feels more like atmosphere: it's a lot smokier and less defined.