she talked less, or at least did less of the kind of talking whose only purpose was to fill silence - Richard Yates

After a second or two he thrust the muzzle forward and broke out the pane of glass, less because he knew it would make for a better aim than because it was what gunmen always did behind windows in movies.

As my husband always used to say, who cares? A lot of people care, Ann. Well, that's a nice thought, but try counting them up on your fingers. Name me four. Name me three.

..."a man doesn't spend all these years building something and then kick it to pieces. Don't - well, to put it coarsely, don't shit where you eat."