Rodham

by Curtis Sittenfeld

Rule of Two: If I was unsure of a course of action but could think of two reasons for it, I’d do it. If I could think of two reasons against it, I wouldn’t.

“In the words of Winston Churchill, a good speech should be like a woman’s skirt—long enough to cover the subject but short enough to create interest.”

“Maybe life isn’t about the absence of embarrassment, it’s about the mastery of embarrassment.”

“Does Steve think we have something in common, or is this one of those situations where Chuck is single and I’m single and he’s part of the human species and I’m part of the human species?”

I’ve learned over many decades that people are likeliest to declare their respect when their behavior suggests the opposite.

I’ve always found nonquestion questions lazy, as if the speaker can’t be bothered to specify the last few words and expects the subject to do the work of transforming vague verbal gesturing into cogency.

ending with the negative half of a mixed sentiment made the whole thing seem pessimistic,

“If the foo shits.”