Quotes from Harry Turtledove

The men of the 47th North Carolina could not actually have looked across Washington to see the burning Long Bridge from the position in which I have them doing so. Geography occa sionally has to bend just a little to serve the novelist's needs.

the Romans, spring and early

one in this world, so far as I know, has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people

You count snouts," Straha said. "Whichever side can persuade most snouts to join it prevails. It does not have to be clever. It does not have to be wise. It only needs to be popular.

People were as they were, not not as he wished them to be.

Do you see things in black and white, or are there shades of gray for you?" "I hope there's gray...Black and white make things easier, but only if you don't want to think.

The difference between bad and worse is a lot bigger than the difference between good and better.

Well, I might even get used to the idea that she had no tail.

When you thought of permanent oblivion, temporary oblivion was the only foxhole you had.

Somewhere near the Alamo, a bugle brayed: either that or McCulloch's men had found some reason to torture a poor, defenseless donkey.

He gathered enthusiasm when he thought of the goal, and not the means by which he had accomplished it.

If a republic will stand or fall on the fate of any single man, it finds itself in grave danger indeed

He said, "You misunderstand. We did not kill the nuggies and the other folk hereabouts. They see us, and then they commonly die." "Of what?" I asked. "Of embarrassment.

That anyone would want to be famous still mystified Colin. As TV had trained him to do, he associated the word with divorces and court appearances and rehab and jail time. He knew more than he wanted about all of those except rehab, and that was the one famous people blew off anyway.

Holy Jesus God, it's the Gerps shootin' us up!" the manager shouted. He hadn't known whether to say Germans or Japs, and came out with both at once.

when we awoke someone had stolen the sea.

You know what I mean. Is it true the folk hereabouts"—he pointed to the land ahead—"are cripples? Missing half their hindquarters?" "The fauns? Cripples?" I laughed. "By the gods who made them, no!

What does not corrupt a man's heart cannot corrupt his life, or do him any lasting harm.

An empty belly makes a stern taskmaster.~Victor Radcliff

Jerry had trouble imagining himself in his thirties, much less his seventies. What would 2024 look like? The politics would have to be better than today's. They couldn't very well be any worse!

The United States are here, as are we; our two nations have a common border which stretches for two thousand miles, more or less. Either we learn not to be distracted by our differences or we fight a war every generation, as the nations of Europe are in the habit of doing. I would not care to see such folly come to our shores.

Possum soup, all nice and thick with peanuts

For some idiot reason, the idea of going into the drink with a misspelled safety device weirded Bryce out.

People you don't like are pigheaded. Your friends are stubborn, or hold to their purpose.~Victor Radcliff