Quotes from Trevanian

Irony is Fate's most common figure of speech.

It was not their irritating assumption of equality that annoyed Nicholai so much as their cultural confusions. The Americans seemed to confuse standard of living with quality of life, equal opportunity with institutionalized mediocrity, bravery with courage, machismo with manhood, liberty with freedom, wordiness with articulation, fun with pleasure - in short, all of the misconceptions common to those who assume that justice implies equality for all, rather than equality for equals.

You can gain experience, if you are careful to avoid empty redundancy. Do not fall into the error of the artisan who boasts of twenty years experience in craft while in fact he has had only one year of experience–twenty times. And never resent the advantage of experience your elders have. Recall that they have paid for this experience in the coin of life, and have emptied a purse that cannot be refilled.

Generalization is flawed thinking only when applied to individuals. It is the most accurate way to describe the mass, the Wad. And yours is a democracy, a dictatorship of the Wad.

Hana: What on Earth is a 'barbeque'? Hel: A primitive tribal ritual featuring paper plates, elbows, flying insects, encrusted meat, hush puppies, and beer. Hana: I daren't ask what a 'hush puppy' is. Hel: Don't.

And he recalled the ancient adage: Who must do the harsh things? He who can.

Go is to Western chess what philosophy is to double-entry accounting.

We all desire to be understood, but no one enjoys being obvious.

In seeming contradiction of physical laws, time is heavy only when it is empty.

It is revealing of the American culture that its prototypic hero is the cowboy: an uneducated, boorish, Victorian migrant agricultural worker.

Niceness is an overrated quality. Being nice is how a man pays his way into a party if he hasn't the guts to be tough or the class to be brilliant.

Ripe for romance? Is that not only the self-conscious and sensitive young man's way of saying he was heavy with passion? Is not, perhaps, romance only the fiction by means of which the tender-minded negotiate their lust?

Ä°tiraf ruha iyi gelir, Montjean. Ruhu boÅŸalt?r, yeni günahlar için yer haz?rlar.

But we are in the age of the mediocre man. He is dull, colorless, boring—but inevitably victorious.

The rope connecting two men on a mountain is more than nylon protection; it is an organic thing that transmits subtle messages of intent and disposition from man to man; it is an extension of the tactile senses, a psychological bond, a wire along which currents of communication flow.

Niko? I have decided to christen this little pool Le Cagot's Soul." "Oh?" "Yes. Because it is clear and pure and lucid." "And treacherous and dangerous?" "You know, Niko, I begin to suspect that you are a man of prose. It is a blemish on you." "No one's perfect." "Speak for yourself.

All right. But take my advice, Mr. Hel. Don't let this chance get away. Opportunity doesn't knock twice, you know." "Penetrating observation. Did you make up the epigram?" "I'll see you tomorrow." "Very well. And ask the guard to knock on my cell door twice. I wouldn't want to confuse him with opportunity.

It is a truism of American politics that no man who can win an election deserves to.

Ben geleceÄŸi hep y???nlar halinde 'bugün' olmay? bekleyen yar?nlardan oluÅŸmuÅŸ diye görürüm.

Dedikodu bizim kad?nlar?m?za günah?n tad?n? ç?karma olana?? verir. Kendi iÅŸlemeyecekleri, iÅŸleyemeyecekleri günahlar. Çünkü onlar? cesaretsizlikleri, hayal güçlerinin eksikliÄŸi ve f?rsats?zl?k engelliyor. Biz de bu eksikliklere namus diyoruz.

Of course these gifts were reckless extravagances for a family that was never more than a couple of dollars and a few days away from hunger, but that's how poor people cope with being marooned in poverty while all around them flows the frothy stream of the consumer culture.

Who must do the harsh things? He who can.

The shabby look was not his tailor's fault; the Arab's body was not designed for clothes requiring posture and discipline.

We all desire to be understood, but no one enjoys being obvious.