The Informant Quotes

“Killing is just one of a lot of things people ought to do for themselves, but end up paying somebody else to do for them. They pay some pimp to provide a woman who will go to bed with them, and they buy a fancy car and hire somebody to drive it for them. That's no way to live, but their mistake is a fortune for people like us. Do your own killing, drive your own car, find your own girls.”
― Thomas Perry, The Informant

“He had heard people say that killing somebody was egotism—thinking your own life was more valuable than somebody else's. Those people didn't understand either life or death. Your life wasn't better than someone else's. Your life was valuable to you because it was yours. What was egotistical was thinking you could neglect to do the smart, self-protective thing when you had the chance and still manage to survive. It was thinking your superiority gave you leeway. You could afford to leave your enemies alive because they weren't as smart or as strong or as lucky as you were. Well, you couldn't afford to think that way.”
― Thomas Perry, The Informant

“He runs a crew that’s been doing real-estate scams in Florida. They’d buy and sell the same house four or five times among themselves to jack up the price, take out a giant mortgage, and then walk away. That worked in boom times when houses were going up. Now they’re taking money to prevent foreclosures. The victim signs his house over to them.”
― Thomas Perry, The Informant

“There’s a reason why a twelve-gauge shotgun is the weapon of choice for home defense. It’s a hell of a lot more lethal than anything you can hide in your pants. A double-ought shell has twelve pellets, each of them the size of a .38 bullet.”
― Thomas Perry, The Informant

“the unwelcome memory of how the Mafia worked. The one you liked, respected, and trusted most was always the one they sent to invite you to your death.”
― Thomas Perry, The Informant

“Do it fast and get out.” By the time he was sixteen, he had acquired the discipline and the skills. He had also picked up Eddie’s philosophy. Eddie had said, “Everybody dies. It’s just a question of timing, and whether the one who gets paid for it is you or a bunch of doctors. It might as well be you.”
― Thomas Perry, The Informant

“He liked her stories for the same reason she told them—they should have happened.”
― Thomas Perry, The Informant

“cabinet”
― Thomas Perry, The Informant