David

“I hope she was not the Church's creature," de Soya says quietly. "If she was, then my Church has become the monster.”
― Dan Simmons, Endymion

“Dana had Society, Respectability, Tradition, Moral judgment, Time, Security (especially Security), and the generations of cuckolded husbands who had provided him with lessons in how to win by employing patience. Dana Holmes could afford to laugh at Milt Warden who had the audacity to try to defeat this array of heavy artillery with the popgun of Love. Because could you just point out to me once, please, sir, one single time that Love had ever bought anything? In these United States of the United Middle Class of Solid-Fronted United Greater America?”
― James Jones, From here to eternity: de volledige en ongecensureerde editie

“...and my heart tightened for the hard compulsions of the poor.”
― Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome

“It’s come to shape the way I think about every country, every community: Whose nonexistence is necessary to the self-conception of this place, and how uncontrollable is the rage whenever that nonexistence is violated?”
― Omar El Akkad, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This