Spell or High Water Quotes

“I find that stubbornness often beats intelligence eventually. Stubbornness will beat anything eventually. That’s the whole point of stubbornness.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“For a smart person to argue with a dumb person, they have to dumb down their logic on the fly, while the dumb person thinks in dumb logic naturally, giving them an advantage.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“Everything’s senseless until someone makes sense of it. Life doesn’t explain itself.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“Martin said, “A mixed metaphor is like a beautiful woman.” “How so?” “They can both make a guy look stupid.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“If I use it, and you know what it means, it a word.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“Reality is inelegant,” Phillip huffed. “No,” Martin said definitively. “Reality is stunningly elegant. Our understanding of it is not.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“And what work is fit for a real man?” Phillip asked. “Look around you, and see for yourself,” Ampyx said. “Guarding things, tending to the flowers, selling clothing, serving food. Some of us cut hair.” “Manly work,” Phillip said. “Yes.” Now Martin had to make sure he was hearing things properly. “And what about building things, inventing, and running the government?” Ampyx said, “The women seem to enjoy doing those things, and they’re good at it, so we leave them to it while we tend to what’s important.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“Gwen decided it was time to speak up. “Tell me, has any woman ever laughed when you made the obvious joke?” “No,” Sid said, “but that’s just because women don’t really have a sense of humor.” Gwen asked, “What makes you say that?” Sid said, “I tell a lot of jokes, jokes my male friends think are hilarious, but women almost never laugh.” Brit nodded, and said, “Well, we can’t argue with that. Your logic is as strong as your wit.” Sid bowed more deeply, and said, “Thank you.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“The only bright point was when we stopped off at that fish market they got here before we went to the airport.” “Oh,” Jimmy said brightly, “the one where they throw those great big fish around?” “Yeah, that’s the one,” Agent Miller said, wearily. “How was it?” Jimmy asked. “It was a fish market. You’ve been to a fish market, haven’t you, Jimmy? It was exactly like that, only crowded, and with guys yelling and throwing around a big dead fish. Does that sound like fun, Jimmy? How they ever convinced people that that’s a tourist attraction is beyond me. It’s all a big sham. I’m pretty sure they kept throwing the same fish around no matter what anyone ordered.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“There’s nothing a showoff hates more than a competing showoff.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“just like a truly powerful person never needs to tell people that they are powerful, a truly rich person doesn’t need to demonstrate that they are rich.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“The beauty of capital punishment,” he continued, “is that you only have to do it once to make your point.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“Tell me, what do you know about giant squid?”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“They’re smarter than I am.” “Are they smarter, or do they just know more?” Martin asked, “Is there a difference?”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“The only question that got any traction was when he asked Martin what he did. Martin tersely replied that he was a wizard and was met with a blank stare. “You know, a wizard,” Martin said. “I do magic.” Martin had expected that this would at least impress Ampyx. Martin was wrong. “Why?” Ampyx asked. “Why what? Why do I do magic?” “Yes, why do you do magic?” Ampyx asked, as if it were the most obvious question in the world. Martin looked at Phillip, who shrugged. Finally, Martin answered, “Why wouldn’t I do magic? Wouldn’t you do magic if you could?” “Never,” Ampyx said. “Well, why not?” Ampyx scrunched his face and said, “Magic . . . it is . . . woman’s work.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“Finally, he thought, If we’re going to talk, let’s really talk. “There are those who say that because nothing we do seems to change the future, it means that whatever we do now has to be what we did in the past. Essentially, they say that all of our decisions were made for us, and that all we can do is play our parts. They tell us that any effort we make to change the course of history, or our own destiny, is futile, and ultimately results in us becoming the very thing we struggled to keep from becoming.” Brit peered at him over the rim of her glass, pulled the drink down from her mouth without actually taking a drink, then asked Phillip, “That’s what they say. What do you say?” Phillip smiled. “Usually, something loud and insulting. I am my own man. I make my own decisions. If the universe expects me to do anything different, it should prepare for a fight. I reject the idea that just because we can see the future that we’re doomed to create it. I say free will and imagination are deeply linked, and if you don’t believe you have one it just means that you lack the other.” Phillip realized he was raising his voice. He took a deep breath. “I get a little crazy when this topic comes up,” Phillip said. “I’m sorry. I’ll stop now.” “No,” Brit said, “please, go on.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“Sadly, I find that stubbornness often beats intelligence eventually. Stubbornness will beat anything eventually. That’s the whole point of stubbornness.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“So, if he doesn’t act with subtlety, what on earth made you think he would react to subtlety?”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“That concludes the official message. I’m adding this last part because I know the two of you won’t be satisfied if I don’t.” Gwen turned so that both Martin and Phillip could see her in profile. She took a deep breath, put the hood up on her cloak. She looked from side to side in an exaggerated pantomime of fear, then said, “Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi; you’re my only hope.” With that, she bent at the waist, mimed putting a card into a slot, then disappeared.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“They were amazed to hear that Roy was from the year 1973, or as Gary put it, pre-Star Wars.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“Oh, he’s not stupid, just a slow learner. Stupid people are useless. Slow learners are tremendous fun to jerk around.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“I’m surprised that Phillip worked so fast,” Gwen said. “He’s never seemed all that romantic to me.” “Well, he doesn’t show that side to you, Gwen. You’re like a sister to him.” Gwen smiled. “Are you saying he’s shown that side of himself to you?” “Not directly,” Martin said, just defensively enough to make it clear he was in on the joke. “But I know it’s there. Guys like Phillip are like, hmm . . . You know those cheap frozen chicken pot pies you get from the grocery store? Phillip’s like one of those. He’s all bland and beige on the surface, a little bit flaky too, but underneath, on the inside, he’s a scalding hot, bubbling mass of passion and gravy. And peas.” “And chicken?” Gwen offered. “Less than you’d think,” Martin said.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“One guy was wearing a loincloth and a hat made of a wolf’s skull, which he insisted was his dress ensemble. Later, Martin worked up the nerve to ask him a few questions. It turned out his name was Richard, and he was from Portland, Oregon, in the year 2003. “Yeah, that’s where you’re from originally,” Martin said. “But where do you live?” Richard said, “Portland, in the year two thousand and three. I own a food truck.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“Yes,” Gary agreed, “and if less is more, then logically, more must be even more than that.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“was a transparent lie. Jimmy had designed it to be. Men like Agents Miller and Murphy were used to dealing with untrustworthy people. Sincerity would have only confused them. The only way to truly gain their trust was to confirm that he was what they expected: untrustworthy.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“I give you credit for trying and failing. It’s not much credit, but it’s still more credit than most of your peers deserve.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“Walking can be very pleasant. Moving slowly through an environment gives you the opportunity to really see it.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“For any ordinary person, the implosion of a deep-sea submersible is an instant death. The violence of the event and the pressures involved will completely destroy the human body faster than its nervous system can register a single pain signal. Death is immediate and certain, like someone turning off a switch marked you.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“Gwen, I don’t deny that you’re much smarter than I am, and have been around longer, and that you know Ida far better than I do. That said, you just used the fact that she’s an elected official as evidence that she wouldn’t have done something stupid. Are you even listening to yourself?”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water

“Ugh, sorry. Watching parliamentary procedure always makes me bored and angry. I think it has to do with the Star Wars prequels.”
― Scott Meyer, Spell or High Water