Polostan (Bomb Light, #1)

by Neal Stephenson

It seemed that one of the few forces in the world that could rival the power of Marxist-Leninist thought was men’s craving to be respected.

certain things were physics incarnate. Bridges, blast furnaces, aeroplanes, and balloons all looked the same in every country. If you had an eye for it you could make them more stylish, like the Golden Gate Bridge, but the form had to be the same.