“I study dead languages for a living,” I said. “That’s why you hired me. Why should I be up to speed on… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“Other people - store clerks, burger flippers, software engineers, the whole vocabulary of meaningless jobs that make up Life in America -… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“Birth and death," Chet said. "The poles of human existence. We're like meridians, all beginning and ending in the same place. We… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
If the Coastal Republic had believed in the existence of virtue, it could at least have aspired to hypocrisy. — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“Juanita believes that nothing is provably true or provably false in the Bible. Because if it's provably false, then the Bible is… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“He parks in the far corner of the lot, explaining that it is more logical to do this and then walk for… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
At the beginning of the project, I wasn't certain that I could come up with an engaging storyline and cast of characters… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
..this is just like life must be for about 99 percent of the people in the world. You're in this place. There's… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
What writers of fantasy, science fiction, and much historical fiction do for a living is different from what writers of so-called literary… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“What would the engineer say, after you had explained your problem and enumerated all of the dissastisfactions in your life? He would… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“You have an agreeably uninteresting existence. Let’s see if we can change that.” — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“...he liked his transcendence out in plain sight where he could keep an eye on it -- say, in a nice stained-glass… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“This is a terrible country for old people. You put them away in horrible buildings that are completely shut off from life,… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“I just saved your fucking life, Mom. . . . You could at least offer me an Oreo.” — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“I just saved your fucking life, Mom...It's like, if you--people of a certain age--would make some effort to just stay in touch… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“But if life were a mellow elementary school run by well-meaning education Ph.D.s, the Deliverator’s report card would say: "Hiro is so… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
Most Kabbalists were theorists who were interested only in pure meditation. But there were so-called 'practical Kabbalists' who tried to apply the… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“Later, he was to decide that Andrew’s life had been fractally weird. That is, you could take any small piece of it… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“[...] people too busy leading their lives to worry about extending their life expectancy.” — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“Only because Rachel knows him,” I said. “Being a den-mother to wayward witches is not in my job description, and I will… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“World-class cereal-eating is a dance of fine compromises. The giant heaping bowl of sodden cereal, awash in milk, is the mark of… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“The powerless life raft, sloshing around the North Pacific, emits a vast, spreading plume of steam like that of an Iron Horse… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
That's funny because if anyone actually did prove the existence of God we'd just tell him 'nice proof, Fraa Bly' and start… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“I study dead languages for a living,” I said. “That’s why you hired me. Why should I be up to speed on your line… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“Other people - store clerks, burger flippers, software engineers, the whole vocabulary of meaningless jobs that make up Life in America - other people… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“It is what you don’t expect,” he’d said, “that most needs looking for.” “Do” — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“...the insects here see you as a big slab of animated but not very well defended food. The ability to move, far from being… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“There was no way that these guys were going to let a bleeding, barefoot woman simply wander off alone into the streets. Two of… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“Space and Time! Two minor omissions that no one is likely to notice," grumbled Newton.” — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
See, the world is full of things more powerful than us. But if you know how to catch a ride, you can go places, — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“Hey,” Shaftoe says, “if we surrender to you, you’ll kill us. Right?” “Yes.” “If you guys surrender to us, we won’t kill you. Promise.… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“My men think you are dead now, and won’t waste balls on you,” Jack said. “In fact I have let you live, but for… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“You’ve probably heard the expression that the Industry feeds off of biomass, like a whale straining krill from the ocean.” — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
“The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed subcategory. He’s got esprit up to here. Right now, he is preparing to carry out… — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same. — Neal Stephenson Copy Share Image
