The Baroque Cycle Quotes
Neal Stephenson books, Historical novels, Picaresque novels, American novels, Science fiction books
Top Quotes
“"You do not have a rival, Fatio. But Isaac Newton does."”
“Most men, standing knee-deep in gold, would talk about that.”
“"Talent was not rare; the ability to survive having it was."”
“"Space and Time! Two minor omissions that no one is likely to notice."”
“"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a yo-yo."”
“"I believe that binary arithemetickal engines will be of enormous significance"”
“"I'm keen to know whether the next English King is going to be German or French."”
“Jack laughed. “If it’s privacy you want, you’re in the wrong subcontinent.””
“"He was selling us insurance against the contingency that our invasion fails to fail."”
“"Godspeed? Godspeed! What kind of a thing is that to say to a fucking galley-slave?"”
“Jack whipped the chain out of the fire and got it round his neck. It was stranglin' time in gay Paree.”
“Jack was finally going mad, and it was a small comfort to know that he'd picked the right city for it.”
“"Technology is a sort of religious practice to me, a way of getting at the eternal by way of the mundane."”
“"There is nothing quite so civilized as to be recognized in public places as the author of books no one has read."”
“"Condemn an Englishman to hell, and he'd plant a bed of petunias and roll out a nice bowling-green on the brimstone."”
“"Are you a wagering man, Dr. Waterhouse?"
"I was brought up to loathe it. But my return to London is proof that I am a fallen man."”
“Daniel declined the tobacco with a wave of his hand. "One day that Indian weed will kill more white men, than white men have killed Indians."”
“"The mechanical world decays. Counterpoised against this tendency to decline must be some creative principle: the active seed--the Subtile Spirit."”
““Daemonic necromancy is so tedious, and fraught with unintended consequences,” said Oyonnax, “when syrup of poppies does the job perfectly well."”