The Violence of Sound Quotes

“What we cannot resist with our swords, what we cannot resist with our plans, what we cannot resist with our courage, let us resist with our disposition to be patient, our temperament to be fair, our inclination to be thankful.”
― Jeff Wheeler, The Violence of Sound

“I don’t trust the military in all things,” Master Drusselmehr confessed. “Their methods tend to be . . . rather blunt. They are very good at exploding things. Running locomotivus stations. Ensuring ample supplies of saltpetr. Hunting down internal enemies of the empire. Things of that nature.”
― Jeff Wheeler, The Violence of Sound

“The seawater itself sends nutrients flowing through their limbs. In a sense, the entire ocean is their beating heart.”
― Jeff Wheeler, The Violence of Sound

“A vast quantity of nonsense is talked about bad men not being able to look you in the face. Never trust that conventionally trite idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance any day in the week if there is anything to be got by it.”
― Jeff Wheeler, The Violence of Sound

“The military had a long tradition of using deception and decoy to achieve strategic aims. That was a practical requirement to get so many portions of the empire to act as one body against a highly intelligent enemy. Of course, it was also a justification. He’d given up more altruistic motives long ago. A general couldn’t afford to be sentimental.”
― Jeff Wheeler, The Violence of Sound

“In a word, she had been right. He felt a clenching in his chest—an unwillingness to admit to what he knew to be true. The very emotion he’d believed she had been suppressing this morning. Oh, the irony! The irony!”
― Jeff Wheeler, The Violence of Sound

“The fissure between himself and McKenna was difficult to resolve within himself. He didn’t know what to say or what she could say to mend the breach.”
― Jeff Wheeler, The Violence of Sound

“But in some instances you can be very stubborn. This was important.” Then she looked away, not able to bear seeing his upset expression. Neither of them attempted to communicate after that, not for hours, but she kept thinking of things she could say to try to make it right. She wasn’t sorry for what she’d done—it had been necessary. But she did need to make amends. The turmoil in her heart made the trip unpleasant and rife with negative feelings.”
― Jeff Wheeler, The Violence of Sound

“She’d told him before that he was one of those men who needed a little wholesome tyranny from the women in their lives.”
― Jeff Wheeler, The Violence of Sound