George Reilly

“Authority is a solvent of humanity: look at any husband, any father of a family, and note the absorption of the person by the persona, the individual by the role. Then multiply the family, and the authority, by some hundreds and see the effect upon a sea-captain, to say nothing of an absolute monarch. Surely man in general is born to be oppressed or solitary, if he is to be fully human; unless it so happens that he is immune to the poison.”
― Patrick O'Brian, H.M.S. Surprise

“If you can make them blush, they think you’re a hard-ass,” she said. “My husband calls it the mask.”
― James S.A. Corey, Caliban's War

“I’m sweating like a glassblower’s arse.”
― Alan Parks, Bobby March Will Live Forever

“That’s the thing about a good porter”–and he shrugged, or shook his head and sounded so rueful and sort of growly as he said, “Deals with all your baggage.”
― Iain Banks, The Quarry