The Panther Quotes

“But we’d already been lied to, and lies are like cockroaches—if you see one, there are more.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“We shook and the guy gripped my hand like it was the last cold beer in hell.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“And now a few words about the excrement shaft; it was basically a six-story indoor outhouse, with a hole in each floor. A squatter. So you had to look up, and if you saw someone’s ass above you… well, too much information. More importantly, the shit shaft could be a means of escape. Always look for an escape.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“Do you know why sharks don’t eat lawyers? Professional courtesy.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“carrying their Yemeni walking sticks, a.k.a. AK-47s.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“Comrades In Arms.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“lies are like cockroaches—if you see one, there are more.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“It’s not unusual to assign a husband and wife together when possible.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“How many people from the Mideast take a cultural sensitivity class before they come to America? Why is it always us who have to be sensitive to other cultures? Works both ways.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“A man only unsheathes his jambiyah if he is going to use it.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“Hi, I’m John. What’s your name again? Another Abdul. At some point in the round-robin I got confused and greeted Zamo.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“I announced to Kate, who was still wearing her scarf over her face, “I want to be a warlord.” No reply. “But I want to ride a white Arabian stallion. Not a Toyota.” “The only leather that’s ever come in contact with your ass is your La-Z-Boy.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“this was the Middle East. The land of the mirage, the shimmering pond in the sand that drew you farther into the deadly desert, and when you arrived at the lifesaving water, it disappeared, and you discovered the bones of those who’d been there before you. You discovered death.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“His eyes were alert despite the hour and the green chew,”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“As he maneuvered the boat, he said, “In the old days of gunboat diplomacy, if some pisspot country attacked Westerners, a naval fleet would assemble and bombard the port city until it burned to the ground. Now… well, the primitive little assholes of the world get away with too much.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“I noticed the ubiquitous photo of Ali Abdullah Saleh, President for Life—until someone killed him—hanging on a wall.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“Most Al Qaeda members in Yemen are not Yemenis, and those who are, are prohibited from using khat. So Al Qaeda is sober all day, and everyone else here is spaced out after lunch.” He added, “That’s one reason why I think Al Qaeda is going to win here. Unless we can stop them.” Right. Like in Vietnam, Paul. How did that work out for you?”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“right at Elephant Rock, which indeed”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“and”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“Being a genius doesn’t make you smart, happy, or successful. In fact, sometimes the opposite. Studies have shown that people with genius-level I.Q.s are often unhappy, alienated from the society around them, impatient with people of lesser intelligence, angry at how stupid and ignorant the world is, and generally self-absorbed and untrusting. In fact, they only trust themselves and they rarely take the advice of others.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“When you’re dealing with people who have no moral center, no loyalty to anyone but themselves, you don’t always get the logical results you expect, or the truth that you paid for.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“I looked around at the embassy people, who were nicely dressed, sipping cocktails and chatting. This could have been anywhere in the civilized world, including New York. But outside the guarded walls was another world that had absolutely nothing in common with this world. Except, to be optimistic, a shared humanity, a love of children and family, a hope for peace, prosperity, health, and happiness, and a belief in a higher being who was loving and kind—except when he got pissed off and sent plagues and floods to get rid of everyone.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“if he were honest with himself, he’d understand that his hate was, in fact, a form of respect. You don’t bother to hate what you think is contemptible.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“Buck thanked the sheik and his trusted”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“Buck next brought up the subject of the”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“Stomp.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther

“You don’t bother to hate what you think is contemptible.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Panther