“Remember men, flies spread disease, so keep yours zipped.”

-Band of Brothers, imitating higher general

Never underestimate the determination of a kid who is time-rich and cash-poor.

-Little Brother, Cory Doctorow

The bird turned, head tipped, suspiciously, on one side and it stared at him with bright eyes.

“Say ‘Nevermore,’” said Shadow.

“Fuck you,” said the raven. It said nothing else as they went through the woodland together.

- Pg. 158-159, American Gods, Neil Gaiman

The house smelled musty and damp, and a little sweet, as if it were haunted by the ghosts of long-dead cookies.

- Pg. 547, American Gods, Neil Gaiman

It gets tiresome being spoken to as if you are a child, even if you happen to be one.

-          Pg. 66, The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss

But since this town had grown up to serve the peculiar needs of the University, a careful observer could note small differences in the services the town provided. For instance, there were two glassblowers, three fully stocked apothecaries, two binderies, four booksellers, two brothels, and a truly disproportionate number of taverns.

-          Pg. 226, The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss

“Rian, would you please cross your legs?”

The request was made with such an earnest tone that not even a titter escaped the class. Looking puzzled, Rian crossed her legs.

“Now that the gates of hell are closed,” Hemme said in his normal, rougher tones. “We can begin.”

-          Pg. 250, The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss

There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.

-          Pg. 290, The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss

“Do you know why they call this place the Rookery?” Elodin asked.

I shook my head.

“Because it’s where you go if you’re a-ravin’.” He smiled a wild smile. He laughed a terrible laugh.

-          Pg. 311, The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss

He looked back at me and gestured vaguely with his hands. “You see, women are like fires, like flames. Some women are like candles, bright and friendly. Some are like single sparks, or embers, like fireflies for chasing on summer nights. Some are like campfires, all light and heat for a night and willing to be left after. Some women are like hearthfires, not much to look at but underneath they are all warm red coal that burns a long, long while.

“But Dianne… Dianne is like a waterfall or spark pouring of a sharp iron edge that God is holding to the grindstone. You can’t help but look, can’t help but want it. You might even put your hand to it for a second. But you can’t hold it. She’ll break your heart…”

-          Pg. 444, The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss

I sat there in the dark, holding her sleeping body in my arms. She was soft and warm, indescribably precious. I had never held a woman before. After a few moments my back began to ache with the pressure of supporting her weight and my own. My leg started to go numb. Her hair tickled my nose. Still, I didn’t move for fear of ruining this, the most wonderful moment of my life.

…

We lay on our sides, like spoons nesting in a drawer. My arm ended up under her head, like a pillow. She curled snugly along the inside of my body, so easy and natural, as if she had been designed to fit there.

As I lay there, I realized I had been wrong before, this was the most wonderful moment of my life.

- Pg. 576-577, The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss

The story is, “Did you know it’s a statistical fact that people with larger feet tend to be better spellers? [Insert awe.] It’s because people with bigger feet are older.”
- Pg. 75, Managing Humans – Biting and Humorous tales of a software engineering manager, Michael Lopp

Panic is the mother of  the path of least resistance.
- Pg. 84, Managing Humans – Biting and Humorous tales of a software engineering manager, Michael Lopp

(Explaining the butterfly effect) “Seemingly insignificant events that are intent on screwing you in an unlikely way.”
- Pg. 93, Managing Humans – Biting and Humorous tales of a software engineering manager, Michael Lopp

You know what failure sounds like, but success is silent.
- Pg. 97, Managing Humans – Biting and Humorous tales of a software engineering manager, Michael Lopp

And at last I resolved to scale that tower, fall though I might; since it were better to glimpse the sky and perish, than to live without ever beholding the day.

Pg. 2 The Outsider, Tales of H.P. Lovecraft, H.P. Lovecraft, Joyce Carol Oates

It was a monstrous constellation of unnatural light, like a glutted swarm of corpse-fed fireflies dancing hellish sarabands over an accursed marsh; and its colour was that same nameless intrusion which Ammi had come to recognise and dread.
Pg. 95 The Colour Out of Space, Tales of H.P. Lovecraft, H.P. Lovecraft, Joyce Carol Oates