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Kindle Notes & Highlights
Probably nothing going on inside, thinks Tangerine. Often the case with people who don’t read fiction. Hollow inside, monochrome, so they can switch gears no problem. They swallow something and forget about it as soon as it goes down their throat. Constitutionally incapable of empathy. These are the people who most need to read, but in most cases it’s already too late.
A man who gets no love from Lady Luck has no choice but to be prepared.
Tangerine, if you think someone’s about to kill you, make sure you leave behind some useful clues.’
People need to find a way to justify themselves. A person can’t live without being able to tell themselves that they’re right, that they’re strong, that they have value. So when their words and actions diverge from their view of themselves, they start looking for excuses, to help reconcile the contradiction. Parents who abuse their children, clergy who engage in illicit affairs, politicians who suffer disgrace – they all come up with excuses.
Apologies create obligation and hierarchy, so he never makes them when he doesn’t have to.
When you lead a group by fear the rank and file lose trust in one another. The stronger the fear, the weaker the trust. The anger and resentment at the despot is turned on people who should be allies, making the spark of rebellion less likely. Everyone just wants to keep themselves safe, their only goal is to avoid being punished, and they start watching one another.
There’s nothing less funny than a serious man trying to be funny.’
‘In Woolf’s To the Lighthouse, they kill a bee with a spoon.’ ‘How’d they kill a bee with a spoon?’ ‘I ask myself the same thing every time I read that part.’
There’s the sensation of invisible feelers extending from Tangerine’s body, colourless and transparent plant tendrils, brushing the Prince’s face searchingly. Stroking the surface to reveal what’s hidden inside.
When someone disappears from this world, when their self vanishes, it’s both terrifying and tragic.’
