No one asked after Dr. Cortázar. That, Teresa had come to understand, was one of the unwritten rules. When someone disappears, don’t ask why. - James S. A. Corey

The high consul is a very wise, very thoughtful man," he said. "I have perfect faith that—
No. Stop. 'Perfect faith' really tells me everything I need to know," Holden said. "You think this is a gentle, bloodless conquest, don't you?
It is, to the degree that you allow it to be.
I was there for the war Duarte started to cover his tracks. I was there for the starving years afterward. Your empire's hands look a lot cleaner when you get to dictate where history begins and what parts of it don't count.

Josep grunted. “Could be prophecy.”
“Could be that the universe doesn’t give a shit about us or anything we do and your mystic bullshit’s just a way we try to pretend otherwise.”

As an old drill sergeant had told her, pain is the warrior’s friend. Pain reminds you that you aren’t dead yet.