Nelson DeMille > Quotes

“The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you are finished.”
― Nelson DeMille

“Sometimes shit happens even if you have a shit shield”
― Nelson DeMille

“It occurred to me that the problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you are finished.”
― Nelson DeMille, Plum Island

“...the most common cause of death among alpha males was ego.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“A lot of our perception of history is influenced by inaccurate movies.”
― Nelson DeMille, Plum Island

“It's really scary when you have a moment of temporary sanity.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“Women need a reason to have sex; men need only a place.”
― Nelson DeMille, Wild Fire

“I continued, “The painting shows this fish with a big eye and a halo, floating in air, and underneath the fish are all these Native Americans having sex.” “What? What does that have to do with Custer’s Last Stand?” “Well, the painting is titled, Holy Mackerel, Look at All Those Fucking Indians.”
― Nelson DeMille, Wild Fire

“I enjoy the presence of a woman in the house for brief periods of time. They fall into two categories: the organizers and the slobs. There’s probably a third category—the naggers, who try to get you to do things, but I’ve never run into one of those. Oddly, I have no preference regarding oganizers or slobs, as long as they don’t try to pick my clothes for me. Basically, all women are nurturers and healers, and all men are mental patients to varying degrees. It works fine if people stick to their fated roles. But nobody does.”
― Nelson DeMille, The General's Daughter

“The meaning of life has not much to do with good and evil, right and wrong, duty, honor, country, or any of that.

It has to do with cutting the right deal.”
― Nelson DeMille

“Job happiness is directly proportional to the distance you are from the home office.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion's Game

“…made me promise to cut down on the drinking and swearing, which I have. Unfortunately, this has left me dim-witted and nearly speechless.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“I want to be back to work next week.
'Let’s get you home first. I need to evaluate the extent of your mental impairment.' She tried to flash me the peace sign, but in her weakend condition, she only managed to raise her middle finger.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“How you doing at 26 Fed?"
“I’m growing and learning, meeting new challenges with confidence and enthusiasm while developing good work ethics and people skills.”
“I’m surprised they haven’t fired your ass.”
“Me too.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“Basically, all women are nurturers and healers, and all men are mental patients to varying degrees.”
― Nelson DeMille, The General's Daughter

“Mrs. Corey still uses her maiden name for business, or when she wants to pretend she doesn’t know me.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“Kate had never been married, so she had no way of knowing if I was a normal husband. This has been good for our marriage.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“I turned to the Times crossword puzzle and asked Kate, “What’s the definition of a moderate Arab?” “I don’t know.” “A guy who ran out of ammunition.”
― Nelson DeMille, Wild Fire

“You get a promotion?"
"I got a polite, but firm suggestion to be a team player. [...]"
"You got off easy. One of my commanding officers once threw a paperweight at me."
"We're a bit more subtle.”
― Nelson DeMille, Night Fall

“Detective Ramos confided in me, 'If something happens to you on my watch my ass is O-U-T.' 'How do you think I’d feel? D-E-A-D.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“Most guys arrived here normal, and they were shocked and sickened by the behavior of the guys who'd been here a while. Then within a few weeks, they'd stop being shocked, and within a few months a lot of them joined the club of the crazies. And most of them, I think, went home and became normal again, though some didn't. But I never once saw anyone here who had gone around the bend ever return to normal while they were still here. It only got worse because in this environment they'd lost any sense of. . . humanity. Or you could be nice and say they'd become desensitized. It was actually more frightening than sickening. A guy who'd sliced off the ear of a VC he'd killed that morning would be joking with the village kids and the old Mama-sans that afternoon and handing out candy. I mean, they weren't evil or psychotic, we were normal, which is was really scared the hell out of me.”
― Nelson DeMille, Up Country

“I tried to picture a bunch of guys in blue suits running around a beachside neighborhood, knocking on doors and flashing Fed creds. That should cause a stampede of illegal aliens heading south.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion's Game