James S. A. Corey Quotes

Seriously?
Yep.
That's a really stupid way to go through life.
It's how most people do.
Then most people are really stupid.

She grinned to herself. Safe. That sounded like a good plan. She should try that for a change.

He told himself that, but he was getting less and less persuasive. Not knowing was the worst thing. The second-worst thing as being chased by a bunch of top-of-the-line warships that really wanted to kill you.

It's good being young," he said, "but some people wear it better than others.

See, that's what civilization is," he said. "Bunch of stories. That's all.
So what if it is?" Peaches said. "We're really good at telling stories.

My own kind," she said. "Let me tell you about my own kind. There are two sides in this, but they aren't inner planets and outer ones. Belters and everyone else. It's not like that. It's the people who want more violence and the ones who want less. And no matter what other variable you sample out of, you'll find some of both.

Bobbie sighed. “You know, a thousand of those stars out there are ours now. That’s like, what? Three ten-thousandths of a percent of our galaxy? That’s what we’re fighting over.”
“You think?”
“You don’t?”
“Nah,” Alex said. “I figure we’re fighting over who gets the most meat from the hunt and first access to the water hole. Mating rights. Who believes in which gods. Who has the most money. The usual primate issues.”
“Kids,” Bobbie said.
“Kids?”
“Yeah. Everyone wanting to make sure their kids have a better shot than they did. Or than everyone else’s kids. Something like that.”
“Yeah, probably,” Alex said.

There was no amount of double-checking that would ever prove that nothing had been missed.

Panicking people for no reason—
Panicking at this point isn't unreasonable," Monica said. "And deciding for people what they should get to know so they do what you think they should do? That isn't how the good guys act, and you know it. It's paternalistic, it's condescending, and it's beneath you. Maybe not them, The political movers and shakers. But it's beneath you.

She wanted to care, but she didn’t. She didn’t have time.

Amazing how much we’ve managed to do, considering how we’re doing it all with jumped-up social primates and evolutionary behaviors from the Pleistocene.

Thing is, we’re humans. We’re tribal. More settled things are, the bigger your tribe is. All the people in your gang, or all the people in your country. All the ones on your planet. Then the churn comes, and the tribe gets small again.

Thing about civilization, it’s what keeps people civil. You get rid of one, you can’t count on the other.

Militia motherfucker. NO TRESPASSING signs and everything. Took a potshot at me when I went to ask for some water. Kind of asshole that’s probably pissing himself with glee that the world went to shit and made his stashed guns and paranoia pay off.

She knew intellectually that he was beautiful, the way the iridescent wings of a carrion fly would be.