I know what kind of things I myself have been irritated by in detective stories. They are often about one or two persons, but they don't describe anything in the society outside.

Impulsive actions led to trouble, and trouble could have unpleasant consequences.

I am a rapist and a sadistic pig,' if you get that tattoo removed I will carve it into your forehead, do you understand?

Always retain the ability to walk away, without sentimentality, from a situation that felt unmanageable. That was a basic rule of survival. Don't lift a finger for a lost cause.

Men who just call to say hello generally have ulterior motives.

Everyone has secrets. It's just a matter of finding out what they are

But if you want to win, you're going to have to fight.

There were not so many physical threats that could not be countered with a decent hammer.

No, I don't believe in God, but I respect the fact that you do. Everyone has to have something to believe in.

I'm not going to apologize for the way I've led my life.

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.

If you wait, your heavenly Father will pick you up, carry you out into the night, and make your life sparkle. He wants to dazzle you with the wonder of his love.

My head's under water but am breathing fine

this observation leads Rozin to a stunning conclusion: "Disgust is the basic emotion of civilization.

Pain and foolishness lead to great bliss and complete knowledge, for Eternal Wisdom created nothing under the sun in vain.

I am the laziest man in the world. I invented all those things to save myself from toil.

You can never get a woman to sit down and listen to a drum solo.

Nothing is going to happen to me, or you, for that matter. Anything can happen, though. Anything can happen. But most always, just normal things happen, and people have happy lives.

There's a metaphor Vincent Eades likes to use: "If you examine a butterfly according to the laws of aerodynamics, it shouldn't be able to fly. But the butterfly doesn't know that, so it flies.

To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation.

As far as the Russians were concerned, I felt the reverse; they had adequate gold, if they wanted to buy, and they weren't dependent upon international trade. I felt they were more self-sufficient.