The Affair (Jack Reacher, #16)

by Lee Child

You ever notice how the folks who talk loudest about small government always seem to live in the states with the biggest subsidies? Small government would kill them dead.”

Smart, conscientious people hate making mistakes. Not just because of ego. Because mistakes of a certain type have the kind of consequences that people with consciences don’t like to live with.

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

“Talking to a man with a gun is a risk. Asking questions isn’t.” I believed that then, back in 1997.

Basic rule of thumb with six guys: you have to be quick. You can’t spend more than the bare minimum of time on any one individual. Which means you have to hit each of them one time only. Because that’s the minimum. You can’t hit a guy less than once.

Because Marines are very good at PR. And we get good advice. Our consultants are better than yours, basically. That’s what I’m saying. That’s what it comes down to. So you’ll lose a lot, and we’ll lose a little.”

Most right-handed people end up walking wide counterclockwise circles, because most right-handed people have left legs fractionally shorter than their right legs. Basic biology and geometry. I avoided that particular peril by stepping to the right of every tenth tree I came to, whether I thought I needed to or not.

Basic rule of thumb: rifles and artillery are useless in a wood. Too many trees in the way.

“For years you’ve laughed off the small things, but they come so thick and fast that eventually you realize an avalanche is made up of small things. Snowflakes, right? Things don’t get much smaller than that. Suddenly you realize that small things are big things.”

raconteur.

“Great minds think alike,” Munro said. “Or fools never differ.”

And I figured he was plenty smart. He had survived Vietnam, and the Gulf, and years of Pentagon bullshit. You don’t do any of that without brains. I figured he was an easy seven out of ten. Maybe an eight. In no imminent danger of winning the Nobel Prize, but definitely smarter than the average bear.

Fighting morons is harder. You can’t guess what they’re going to do. But smart people are predictable.

injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Correct,” I said. “I need to trace a jarhead MP who was there five years ago. His name is Paul Evers.” “Why?” “Because his parents were Mr. and Mrs. Evers and they liked the name Paul, I guess.”