The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency, #1)

by John Scalzi

“I want to space him just on principle.”

“This is all highly fucked up, ma’am.”

it doesn’t matter whether you actually have anything to apologize for. The act of apologizing is the thing. You should know that already. That’s basic diplomacy.”

It was one thing to fuck up on your own time. It was another to sideswipe the house while you did it.

I am emperox of all humanity, and my life sucks.

Kiva went on at length about the Yes, Sir’s entire sojourn at End, loudly and at length, with considerable editorial comment.

It was nice when you could look up to your parent, even as an adult, and think, This is who I fucking want to be when I grow up.

I didn’t mean to make you feel like I was trying to trap you into a faux pas.

but it’s one thing to suspect it, and another thing to be told it,

“Tell the rest of them to fuck off, too,” she said to Limbar. “Everyone fuck off,” Limbar said. “For the next fifteen minutes.” Everyone fucked off,

“I think I like you, Sergeant Pitof. You’re my kind of asshole.”

“I’m continually confronted with the human tendency to ignore or deny facts until the last possible instant. And then for several days after that, too.”

“I can’t be blamed for that.” “Of course you can be blamed for it. I just blamed you. I’m getting blamed and now I’m passing some of that blame on to you. I hope you feel bad about it.”

“That’s the human brain,” Attavio VI said. “It creates patterns when there aren’t any. Imagines causality when there is none. Imagines a narrative where none exists. It’s in the design of the brain itself. It’s primed to lie.”