The Jefferson Key Quotes

“Follow your heart. It rarely leads you astray. It's thinking that gets us into trouble.”
― Steve Berry, The Jefferson Key

“Politics is a powerful drug.”
― Steve Berry, The Jefferson Key

“He’d ventured from the White House only to say goodbye to a former friend—Warren Davis of South Carolina, elected twice to Congress, once as an ally, a Jacksonian Democrat, the other as a Nullifier. His enemy, the former vice president John C. Calhoun, had concocted the Nullifier Party, its members actually believing that states could choose what federal laws they wanted to obey. The devil’s work was how he’d described such foolishness. There’d be no country if the Nullifiers had their way—which, he supposed, was their entire intent. Thankfully, the Constitution spoke of a unified government, not a loose league where everyone could do as they pleased. People, not states, were paramount.”
― Steve Berry, The Jefferson Key

“Aren’t you the president? Don’t they all work for you?” “I’m a president with not much more than a year left in office. They don’t really care what I think or do anymore. They’re more interested in the next person who’ll be sitting in this chair.”
― Steve Berry, The Jefferson Key

“Frankly, Mr. Hale, your situation is not something the White House cares about one way or the other.” “You should. The first president and the second Congress of this country legally granted us the authority to act, so long as it was directed toward our enemies.” “With one problem,” Davis said. “The legal authority for your letter of marque does not exist. Even if we wanted to honor it, that could prove impossible. There is no written reference in the congressional journals for that session addressing them. Two pages are missing, which I believe you are well aware of. Their location is guarded by Jefferson’s cipher. I read Andrew Jackson’s letter to your great-great-grandfather.” “Am I to assume that if we solve the cipher and find those missing pages, the president will honor the letter?” “You can assume that your legal position will be much stronger since, as of now, you don’t have one.”
― Steve Berry, The Jefferson Key

“He crossed 14th Street and walked south, down Broadway, toward the Strand—four floors of overstock, used, rare, and out-of-print books. He’d chosen the location for the meeting in deference to his adversary, whom he knew loved books. Personally, he despised the things. Never read a novel in his life. Why waste time on lies? Occasionally he did consult a nonfiction volume or two, but he preferred the Internet or simply asking someone. What all the fascination was with words on paper he’d never understand. And why people would hoard the things by the ton, treasuring them as they would a precious metal, made no sense whatsoever.”
― Steve Berry, The Jefferson Key

“The solution to your Jefferson cipher should be loading on my laptop as we speak. Our guys solved it.” Had he heard right? The key? Found? After 175 years? Parrott was right—the captains would be thrilled. But there was still the matter of the foolishness that had just occurred. He could only hope he’d covered their tracks with no mistakes. If not, no cipher key would matter.”
― Steve Berry, The Jefferson Key

“His stomach bubbled with anxiety. He’d waited a long time for this. Camp by the riverside. Advice he’d received years ago—and as true as ever. If you waited by the river long enough, eventually your enemies would float by.”
― Steve Berry, The Jefferson Key

“Tell me this,” he called out. “Anything, Quentin. Just get me out of this cage.” “The ledger. Did you speak of that?” The man’s head shook. “Not a word. Nothing. They seized UBS records and never mentioned the ledger.” “Is it safe?” “Where we keep it. Always. Just you and me. We’re the only ones who know.” He believed him. Not a word had so far been mentioned of the ledger, which relieved some of his anxiety. But not all. The storms he was about to face would be far worse than the squall he spotted brewing off to the east. The entire weight of the U.S. intelligence community, along with the Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department, was bearing down upon him. Not unlike what his ancestors had faced when kings, queens, and presidents dispatched whole navies to hunt down the sloops and hang their captains.”
― Steve Berry, The Jefferson Key