What do you look at while you’re making up your mind? Ours is not a reflective culture, we do no raise our eyes up to the hills. Most of the time we decide the critical things while looking at the linoleum floor of an institutional corridor, or whispering hurriedly in a waiting room with a television blatting nonsense.

I am the dragon, and you call me insane.

Human emotions are a gift from our animal ancestors. Cruelty is a gift humanity has given itself.

It occured to Starling how much Roden would benefit from an elbow smash in the hinge of his jaw.

You would think such a day would tremble to begin . . .

Whenever feasible, one should always try to eat the rude.

There is a common emotion we all recognize and have not yet named -- the happy anticipation of being able to feel contempt.