Michael Swanwick Quotes

The secret of a good scam is not to get greedy.

Your girlfriend is none too tightly wrapped, if you’ll forgive me for saying so. I don’t think she’s actually crazy, but—I been watching her a long time, and it is my considered opinion that she is none too clear on where the line between fantasy and reality should be drawn.

People will believe in just about any kind of superstitious crap nowadays.

I’m a politician. I agree with the majority of whoever I happen to be with at the moment.

What you propose to do today is to bring civilization to a lawless corner of the world. I know that you claim more modest ambitions. But when the protection of law is extended to the innocent and weak, that is civilization. Now I hold that in the natural state, there are only two kinds of people in the world—the men with guns, and the victims. And the one kind feeds off the other.

These hands were almost crippled digging coal so that rich men in Boston might grow even richer.

Sam stood in the center of the church, listening for the presence of God. It was a hot place. The air was blue with floating radioisotopes. She glanced up at the clouds and they staggered by as if the walls were falling in on her. She looked away quickly. The air flowed around her, calm and peaceful and blue. But there was no divine presence.

If I have to play your stupid games, at least I don’t have to pretend to enjoy them.

They're just kids," Will said scornfully.
"Do not despise them because they are young. The young make excellent soldiers and better martyrs. They are easily dominated, quickly trained, and as ruthless as you command them to be. They kill without regret, and they go to their deaths readily, because they do not truly understand that death is permanent.

The oracle-glass was maddeningly literal, capable of answering only the question one asked, rather than that which one wanted answered.