The Cuban Affair Quotes

“Fate whispered to the warrior, “You cannot withstand the coming storm.” And the warrior whispered back, “I am the storm.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“I only drink a little, but when I do, I become a different person, and that person drinks a lot.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“I spent most of my money on booze and broads and I wasted the rest of it.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“The Cubans say that sex is the only thing that Castro hasn’t rationed.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“Well, sonny, in my country, gun control means using both hands.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“The good news was that the streets were litter-free, maybe because no one had anything to throw away.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“Malecón.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“Your website shows only one booking in that time period.” “Really? I need to update that. So, that’s the price.” “You drive a hard bargain, Mr. MacCormick.” “Captain.” “Captain.” He glanced around. “Let’s get a table.” “Why?” “There are some other details you need to know.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“You can get away with a bad decision, but not a bad mistake.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“And they looked like poor fishermen. But this was Cuba, where everyone had a second job.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“Man plans, God laughs.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“There’s a saying—‘I’d rather regret the things I did than the things I didn’t do.’ ” “I actually regret both.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“and some other shit, and the wife—can’t remember her name—would cry a lot. The kids were young. Three of them. They were okay, but they always talked about the big house they had in Cuba. And servants. So I guess they all felt like they got fucked.” He smiled. “Hey, I was born fucked in New Jersey.” There were two kinds of history: the kind you read about, and the kind you lived through—or were actually part of. For Jack, the Cuban Revolution was a childhood memory. For Sara, it was family history, and part of who she was. For Eduardo, it was a boyhood trauma and an obsession. And for me, it was irrelevant. Until today. Jack asked me, “You trust these people?” “My instincts say they’re honorable”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“I'd obviously fallen hard, but the reality was that we had not a single thing going for us outside of Cuba. Holiday romance can be intense, but as the old song said, too many moonlight kisses seem to cool in the warmth of the sun”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“My own face-offs with death had made me see death differently. Death had become not a possibility, but a probability, so I made peace with that dark horseman, and that peace has stayed with me on my borrowed time.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“I’m not pushy, but Major Johnson was in command now, so I had to strike the right balance between romance and sex.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“Nelson Richard DeMille was born in New York City on August 23, 1943 to Huron and Antonia (Panzera) DeMille, then moved with his parents to Long Island.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“packed in steamer trunks.” “Good. How many trunks?” She glanced at the nearby tables, which were empty. “A typical steamer trunk filled with hundred-dollar bills will hold about fifteen million dollars, and weigh about four hundred pounds.” “Okay . . . one in each hand, two people, that’s sixty million.” She ignored my math and said, “But there are also fifty-dollar bills, and twenties, so there are more than four trunks.” “How many?” “My grandfather said ten.” “Each weighing four hundred pounds?” “Yes. A twenty-dollar bill weighs the same as a hundred-dollar bill.” “Right. That’s four thousand pounds of steamer trunks.” “Give or take.” If I’d known this in Key West I would have gone to the gym. “How about the gold and jewels?” “The gold may be too heavy to take. But there are four valises of jewelry which we’ll take.” “Always room for jewelry. And how about the property deeds that you mentioned?” “That’s another steamer trunk.” I pointed out, “This could be a bit of a logistical problem. You know, getting the trunks out of the cave, onto a truck, then to the boat.” “Carlos has a plan.” “Well, thank God. Would you like another cup of coffee?” She stared at me. “We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t think we could do it.” “Right.” A pretty waitress cleared our plates and smiled at me. It was almost 8 A.M. and people from various tour groups were making their way toward the lobby. We stood and I left two CUCs on the table, and Sara said, “That’s three days’ pay.” “She worked hard.” “And she had a nice butt.” “Really?” The Yale group was already boarding and Sara and I got on the bus together, said good morning to José, Tad, Alison, Professor Nalebuff, and our travel mates as we made our way toward the rear and found a seat together. The efficient Tad did a head count and announced, “We’re all here.” Antonio hopped aboard and called out, “Buenos días!” Everyone returned the greeting so we could get moving. “We will have a beautiful day!” said Antonio. Sí, camarada. CHAPTER 20 The bus wound its way out of Havana and again I had the impression of a once vibrant city that was suffocating under the weight of a rotting corpse. Hemingway’s house, Finca Vigía, was a handsome Spanish Colonial located about fifteen kilometers from Havana,”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“Fate whispered to the warrior, "You cannot withstand the coming storm". And the warrior whispered back, "I am the storm.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“Before you go on any mission, you need to understand what you know, identify what you don’t know, and try to guess what could go wrong. And finally, getting there is only half the fun; you need a clear path home.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“I went back to the Thirty FAQs. Number Four informed me that I’d present one half of my visa card on arrival in Cuba, and it was Essential that I not lose the second half or I’d have trouble getting out of the country. Well, if things went right, I wouldn’t need the second half; and if things went wrong, the second half wouldn’t get me out of Cuba.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“I imagine that Carlos knew that Jack was ex-military when he was searching for idiots to go to Cuba, and I also wondered if Jack would be up for a late-in-life adventure. Carlos said that Jack’s life would not be in danger, which was true regarding the fishing tournament, but not true regarding sailing out of Cuba with sixty million bucks onboard if Cuban gunboats were on our ass. If we made it that far.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“Well, I thought, someone has to get screwed. That’s the art of the deal.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“Somewhere in between the cynical lies and a naïve trust in the human race was the true human condition: complex and capable of anything from heroism and self-sacrifice to betrayal and murder.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“He looked around the crowded room. “The walls have ears.” “Actually, they have termites. And no one here cares what we’re talking about. Look, Mr. Macia, you have offered me two million dollars and it will not surprise you that I could use the money, but—”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“The short-timers, who’d gone through hell without even a small pee in their pants, were all jittery that something was going to happen before they boarded the freedom bird home. I mean, after you’ve cheated death for so long, you become paranoid, sure that death had just remembered you were leaving.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“Before you go on any mission, you need to understand what you know, identify what you don’t know, and try to guess what could go wrong.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“Old guys have seen too much, and they trust no one.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“willful ignorance.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“Most of the MacCormicks and Bedells are college grads and according to my father the youngsters have all been educated beyond their intelligence.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair