You measure a man by what he beats, Thaddeus—not by what he avoids. - Mike Resnick

As for talking business," he continued carefully, "I haven't heard any offers yet."
"You're still alive," said MacLemore. "That's not necessarily a permanent condition.

“You know,” he said unhappily, “I never did like you much. You were always too ambitious, always scheming and plotting.”
“Why should I deny it?” she said calmly. “I’ll only add that it’s people like you who made it easy.”
“What’ll you do when you finally get to the top, and there are no more bodies to climb over?”
“Mostly, I’ll enjoy it,” she replied.

What's your secret, Mr. Flint?" asked Jiminy with a smile.
"The two greatest aphrodisiacs in the universe," answered Flint easily. "Money and power." He paused. "A hell of a lot of rhinos could've kept their horns if people had just looked at things the way they are, instead of the way they'd like them to be.