Once Dead Quotes

“A fresh lightning tree sprouted in the distance as Mother Nature painted the sky in rapid strokes, strobed the results, and then erased her magnificent creation, leaving its after-image burned into Rolf’s retinas. So beautiful. So fleeting. Like life itself.”
― Richard Phillips, Once Dead

“was a crime that this great country lost the will that had driven it to greatness. The fungus of apathy had crept in, an insidious infestation cloaked in self-satisfaction, a sense that things were good enough, that the country could rest on its laurels. Robbed of a unifying sense of purpose, it gradually surrendered its precious sovereignty to the nattering nabobs at the United Nations.”
― Richard Phillips, Once Dead

“Whatever dying had done to him, Jack couldn’t recommend it.”
― Richard Phillips, Once Dead

“Amateurs beat the bush, seeking to frighten hiding game into the open. Even when this tactic worked, the amateur found himself poorly prepared and poorly positioned for the kill shot. The professional studied his prey, learned its patterns, and positioned”
― Richard Phillips, Once Dead

“There was no path to victory when you couldn’t attack into the heart of enemy territory for fear of collateral damage. Collateral damage! God help you if you killed some civilians, even if those were the very people supporting and enabling our enemies. Had that philosophy held sway in World War II, every American would now be speaking Japanese or German.”
― Richard Phillips, Once Dead

“This world will try to beat you down. Laughter is ammunition. Resupply often.’ ”
― Richard Phillips, Once Dead

“Know your enemy. Know the terrain. Know the conditions under which the battle will be fought.”
― Richard Phillips, Once Dead

“Dear Lord, The Ripper walks the earth.”
― Richard Phillips, Once Dead

“As in combat, the key to this game was to get inside your opponent’s decision cycle, making him react to what you were doing, rather than the reverse.”
― Richard Phillips, Once Dead