People From Chicago

"“He's got to have a weakness somewhere.” “Most men do,” said Fiona, commanding the doors to open. “Even a moral man like Thomas Gold.” “I like moral men the best.” “Oh?” she said, stepping into the elevator. “Why is that?” Constantine smiled. “They always make the loudest crash when they fall.”"

"“I persist in fighting because I see something that’s wrong, and the alternative to fighting is to submit.” Cain made no comment. “If you want a philosophic justification, you’ll find it in my library,” continued Santiago. “I’ve got a much simpler explanation.” “What is it?” He smiled a savage smile. “When someone pushes me, I push back.”"

"“I obviously have more faith in these people than you do, John.” “Maybe that’s because I know them better.”"

"“Why are you fighting it?” “Because somebody has to.” “That’s not much of a reason.” “It’s the best reason there is,” said Santiago. “The first duty of power is to perpetuate itself. The first duty of free men is to resist it.”"

"“That's a very small comfort, to me or to him,” said Christina bitterly. “I’m a scientist,” answered Robert apologetically. “I’m better at analyzing problems than finding comforting things to say about them.”"

"“It lacks the conviction of your other lies,” she laughed. “True,” he admitted. “But you have to understand that my entire training as a liar has been directed at the tax collectors.” “I didn’t know that deceit and falsehood went to hand-in-glove with accounting.” “They go hand-in-glove with everything,” answered Redwine seriously."

"I was so average, Tojo. Even after I stopped being fat I was just an average girl with average parents and average grades and average friends. I was always afraid I was going to have an average husband and sleep with him 3.4 times a week and have 2.2 children."

"It takes a lot out of a man to civilize a world, and it’s self-defeating in the end, because the kind of man who does it doesn’t want to see the results."

"“It is a world of bitter extremes of climate and a totalitarian theocracy.” “That he believes in,” said Thaddeus. “Believing in his religion makes it no less oppressive,” said Albert emotionlessly."

"“It wouldn't work,” said Page. “Why?” “Because you're a machine. You're simply reporting facts, and facts have very little to do with truth.” “That is contradictory, Nate.” “Only to a machine,” replied Page."

"Gabriel Pickett looked like any farmer anywhere—lean, hard, and overworked."

"“He was a very dangerous man.” “He was a very brilliant man.” “I know. That’s what made him so dangerous.”"

"“You're almost an hour late!” continued Murray Carnegie harshly. “I’d prefer to think that everyone else was an hour early,” said Page."

"“For the longest time I thought my future would be in ornithology and taxidermy, but eventually I found men more interesting than animals.” Suddenly he grinned. “Or at least, more in need of leadership.” “Well, we’ve come to the right place,” replied Boyes. “I think the Congo is probably more in need of leadership than most places.”"

"Nobody reaches a position of authority without the ability to be a back-stabbing bastard when the chips are down."

"“You’re going to find this hard to believe, but I don’t give a damn about the money,” answered Flint. “‘Hard’ is an understatement,” said Mr. Ahasuerus. “I find it impossible to believe.”"

"And, predictably, he has taken every such gesture as a sign of weakness. You can't reach an accommodation with a man like this; you have to fight him."

"“You’re not irritating me, Mr. Crane,” said the Black Pearl. “You’re sure?” “Absolutely,” she replied. “I’m used to dealing with prima donnas and their over-inflated egos.”"

"“I don’t like ultimatums,” said the Black Pearl. “Then you shouldn’t force me to deliver them.”"

"At any rate, she is what one might call a voyeur with delusions of literacy."

"Crane stared at her for a moment. “I realize that people find me abrasive and demanding…” he began. “You left out tyrannical,” she noted dryly."

"“Is there anything else?” “Only that you have expressed dissatisfaction at not yet obtaining a supervisory position, and that your associates find you difficult and demanding to work with.” “That’s because I am difficult and demanding to work with,” he said, not without a trace of pride. “As for my associates, they’re a bunch of maladroits and incompetents.”"

"“Enough screaming and yelling!” he yells. “I expect you to behave with some decorum. After all, this is a bar, not City Hall.”"

"“Besides,” she added, “the Madonna has been very stupid.” “Oh? In what way?” “She forgot the prime axiom of a whorehouse: that there’s a difference between love and sex. Her job is dispensing sex, and instead she fell in love with the man who is rigging the Comet’s books. It was a very unprofessional thing to do.”"

"“You make him sound like a spiteful man,” noted Bonhomme. “No,” said Suma. “Just greedy.” “Everybody’s greedy,” replied Bonhomme. He just happens to be a little more efficient at it than most of us.”"

"“This is survival of the fittest, Mr. Redwine.” “Or of the least moral,” he said bitterly. “It comes to the same thing in the end,” she acknowledged pleasantly."

"The mind discerns and decides, and the heart vetoes. It is a very inefficient system."

"If nothing else, money buys you a higher class of woman."

"He had been to casinos on Deluros and a handful of other worlds, and had usually been disappointed in them. Romantic fictions and cinemas had always portrayed them as playgrounds for the very rich, whereas his experience was that the typical casino gambler had no more knowledge of taste or culture than he had of odds."

"“Contrary to what you may think about prostitutes, Harry, none of us were brought up to screw in front of an audience. But after a couple of lives get saved because Security sees a problem developing, and after you realize that they’re not simply a batch of drooling voyeurs at the other end of the monitors, you come to accept and appreciate them, and after a while you don’t even think of them at all.” She paused. “One of the first things a prostitute learns how to do is not think of things, especially while they’re happening to her.”"

"“I probably shouldn’t admit this to you, but I don’t enjoy sleeping alone since I’ve met you. And I’m certainly not going to seduce your body if I know your mind is still working away on this paranoid fantasy.” She paused. “So the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can go back to behaving like normal adult human beings.”"

"“It is an honest wager on an honest fight between two evenly-matched masters of the fistic arts,” says Pedro. “Who would have believed it?” says Benny. “Believed what?” asks Pedro. “You manage to cram five lies into an eighteen-word sentence,” answers Benny."

"“I still can’t see why you don’t aim your sights a little higher.” “Because I’m comfortable with you,” she replied. “There are lots of comfortable people in the galaxy,” he said. “Then aren’t you lucky that I haven’t found any of them yet?” Suddenly her face became serious. “Harry, if you haven’t figured out by now that money and looks aren’t important to me, what can I tell you? I’ve been lonely, and you make me feel less lonely. I’ve been an object, and you make me feel like a person. I’ve been asked to do a lot of kinky things, but you’re the very first man who ever asked me to talk to him when there was an empty bed in the next room. I have a farm I haven’t visited in six years, and suddenly you make me want to settle down there. What the hell else do you want me to say?”"

"“Let’s be reasonable,” suggests Bet-a-Bunch Murphy, which I personally think would make a pleasant change."

"“He has willpower to spare,” I say. “Unfortunately, what he lacks is won’tpower.”"

"“I never said that.” “You never had to,” he replied with a smile. “I’m good at my job, remember? And part of that job is listening to what people say and figuring out what they mean.”"

"“You didn’t really think it was funny, did you?” “I laughed, didn’t I?” responded Crane. “Insincerely.” “Well, you can’t have everything.” “No,” admitted the comedian. “But you can want everything.”"

"Benny shakes his head. “This is America, Lamont,” he says. “America’s out there somewhere!” growls Lamont, waving his hand toward the door. “This is Manhattan.”"

"I don’t know how to tell you this gently, Mr. Bello, but you’re yesterday’s news."

"He mumbles something that wouldn’t make any sense even if he was saying it clearly."

"“Is it true?” “Probably. But just for the record, is what true?”"

"“You’re sure of that, are you?” “I’m the best there is, so why shouldn’t I have the best job?” “Modest, too,” commented Redwine dryly. “The next modest whore you meet will be the first,” replied Suma."

"She is unique, even among women, who are all unique, each in their own alien way."

"“I take it you’ve never made love beneath a full tropical moon?” said the Madonna with a smile. “I’ve never made love beneath any moon,” he replied. “One of the drawbacks of a career in accountancy.”"

"“He was destined to desert me.” “How do you know I won’t?” “Because you are selfish enough and greedy enough and immoral enough to realize that your best interest lies in total fealty to me,” she replied. “I don’t know that I especially like that assessment of me,” said the Kid. “The question is not whether you like it,” replied Penelope, “but whether it is true.”"

"“I’ve always wanted what people told me I couldn’t have,” responded Flint. “You’ve never wanted all that much of anything. Which do you suppose is worse?”"

"“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.”"

"“You’re a fool, Harry.” “I know,” he said softly. “That doesn’t make you any less of one,” she replied."

"“She didn’t kill him,” explained the Iceman. “She could have saved him, but she chose not to. Legally it’s not the same thing; morally it is.”"

"There are a thousand events that must transpire, each in its exact order; a million futures must vanish every nanosecond; and you ask me to explain all this to you? Poor little human, who seeks only a full belly and a fat wallet, who dreams of heroic deeds and grateful maidens, and who is doomed only to become a speck of dust in a galaxy already overflowing with dust."