Frank J. Fleming > Quotes

“She then made a move on me, and I very nearly snapped her neck before I realized she was hugging me.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Superego

“No matter how lazy or unmotivated a person is, if he feels his life is on the line, he will devote every available resource to not being killed. Civilization goes out the door, and pure survival kicks in. When people are that awake and that focused, they intrigue me. So you can say I have a job that brings out the best in people.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Superego

“It was almost refreshing to talk to a politician—that meant I wasn’t the only one in the room pretending not to be a sociopath”
― Frank J. Fleming, Superego

“Oh, but Barack Obama was no mere man. He was a paragon of intelligence and civilized society. A savior to the world’s depressed. A lightbringer. A genius thinking thoughts the common man could never hope to comprehend. And his words—his beautiful words read from crystal panes—reached down to our souls and told us all would be well. With the simple act of casting a ballot for Barack Obama, we could make the world an immeasurably better place—a world of peace, of love, of understanding, of unicorns, of rainbows, of expanded entitlements. This was his promise. And now, having had him as president for more than two years, we can say without reservation that he has delivered all his promises and more and is the best president this country—or any country—has ever had or could even imagine to have.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Obama: The Greatest President in the History of Everything

“So friends care about each other and their problems. That was something I’d have to remember to fake.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Superego

“Good' government. 'Bad' government. 'Criminal' syndicate. To me it's all just people with guns trying to push other people around.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Fathom

“Anyway, I don’t know what your plans are, but we’re on our way to church, and the rest of our church would love to meet you and thank you for all you’ve done.” That was one of the most hellish proposals I’d ever heard, and I’ve had crime lords threaten to do all manner of nasty things to me.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Superego

“So you should be grateful about most everything, because, being an American, you live a very privileged life. There’s just a tiny amount of room for complaining, because there are a few legitimate things worth complaining about. Like, let’s say you watched a show about people who crashed on an island, and it was full of interesting mysteries, and you kept watching for six seasons, hoping to find answers to all the mysteries—but then in the finale they totally didn’t answer anything and acted like it was the characters and their resolutions I was supposed to care about—like Jack’s constant whining should have been my focus rather than the smoke monster or the mysterious hatch. That’s awful. That’s worth complaining about . . . even years later.”
― Frank J Fleming, Punch Your Inner Hippie: Cut Your Hair, Get a Job, and Make America Awesome Again

“Having to kill. That was an odd thought to me. Civilized people like to think they don’t have to kill, but I don’t know of any sentient species that didn’t evolve from predators. Hunting and killing are very difficult, much more so than fleeing death. They require complex instincts that eventually lead to the development of intelligence. In a way, all of man’s highest creations—from art to literature to science—only came about because of his basic need to kill.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Superego

“This is why I don't like being a hero; it complicates things to the point of ruining the simple pleasure of gunning people down in a shootout.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Superego

“Now they have the wounded to distract them,' I told the others. Mercy has its utility.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Fathom

“I stare at Diane's smile. I would die for that, though I barely understand why.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Fathom

“If I'm going to pretend to be normal, I might as well commit to it fully. Nothing is more suspicious than something that's just a bit off.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Superego

“The land was torn apart in a legal dispute. Soon it was so devastated, nothing could live here- not plant or animal. Only lawyers. But eventually the place fell into lawlessness, and lawyers can't exist in an area of lawlessness, so they went feral. Some say they still roam the land. You'll suddenly hear someone yell, 'Objection!' and then you'll be torn apart like an improperly witnessed contract.”
― Frank J. Fleming

“Children love pointless violence. Children are still animals who haven't quite yet learned they're supposed to be something else.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Superego

“Giant forces beyond my understanding are trying to crush me.'

Lance nodded. 'Yeah, we all feel that way sometimes.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Sidequest: In Realms Ungoogled

“And from the fractures of that war, many dark things emerged. Demons might be the word for them, if we were to try to limit them to something humans can imagine.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Hellbender

“I walked to the door and turned to face everyone. 'You might hear panic and screaming outside.' I flashed them a smile. 'But that will be a good sign.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Fathom

“We are born with our eyes open. The world teaches us to close them.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Sidequest: In Realms Ungoogled

“Why?" People love that question, but the answer is usually much less enlightening than they would think.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Superego

“There didn't seem to be enough of them to control this many hostages, but I was guessing the dead people in the room were other people who shared that opinion.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Fathom

“You might even say I'm the ultimate moderate. Whenever there has been a contentious issue, you can be certain I am with people on both sides. In a way, I am a friend of every man and woman. I sympathize with them all.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Hellbender

“Then tell me, if it's so obviously wrong, why were you the only one reacting?'

He had a point. But it was a point that disturbed Terrance rather than reassured him. 'So I should just ignore those things?'

'Yes. And I assure you, after you do it enough times, you'll stop seeing them completely, and all this craziness will go away.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Sidequest: In Realms Ungoogled

“More screams elsewhere in the building. Gunshots. Then fewer screams.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Fathom

“No matter how lazy or unmotivated a person is, if he feels his life is on the line, he will devote every available resource to not being killed. Civilization goes out the door, and pure survival kicks in.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Superego

“On the screen was the image of another creature of the same species, and admittedly able to judge by only a small sample, he seemed obese. That wasn’t necessarily a weakness—it could be a cultural thing.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Superego

“My opinion on politics is I'm against it.”
― Frank J. Fleming, Hellbender

“Oh! I know that one!”
― Frank J. Fleming, Fathom