Network Effect Quotes

“Just remember you’re not alone here.” I never know what to say to that. I am actually alone in my head, and that’s where 90 plus percent of my problems are.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“ART said, "I want an apology."
I made an obscene gesture at the ceiling with both hands. (I know ART isn't the ceiling but the humans kept looking up there like it was.)
ART said, "That was unnecessary."
In a low voice, Ratthi commented to Overse, "Anyone who thinks machine intelligences don't have emotions needs to be in this very uncomfortable room right now.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“If I got angry at myself for being angry I would be angry constantly and I wouldn’t have time to think about anything else.) (Wait, I think I am angry constantly. That might explain a lot.)”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“No hugging,” I warned her. It was in our contract.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“There is a lot about what is going on here that I don’t understand. But I am participating anyway.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“Normal = neutral expression concealing existential despair and brain-crushing boredom.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“Ugh, emotions.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“I was unimpressed, having heard ART’s “villain of a long-running mythic adventure serial” voice before, but all the humans got quiet. Amena shifted uncertainly and looked at me. Then Ratthi whispered, “Was that a subtle threat?” I said, “No. It wasn’t subtle.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“You know that thing humans do where they think they’re being completely logical and they absolutely are not being logical at all, and on some level they know that, but can’t stop? Apparently it can happen to SecUnits, too.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“I wasn’t sure exactly what “okay” would involve, but I was willing to settle for “unmurdered.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“But I couldn’t ignore it. I mean, I guess I couldn’t. Ignoring stuff is always an option, up until it kills you.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“Amena gave up on the mask and gave me her full attention. “You look angry.”

“That’s just something my face does sometimes.” This is why helmets with opaque face plates are a good idea.

Amena snorted in disbelief. “Yes, when you’re angry.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“Can I ask you a question?” I never know how to answer this. Should I go with my first impulse, which is always “no” or just give in to the inevitable?”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“I am tired of the whole concept of humans right now.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“Iris: “Peri, you can’t bomb the colony.” Perihelion: “You are incorrect, Iris, I can bomb the colony.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“The good thing about being a construct is that you can't reproduce and create children to argue with you.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“Please calm yourselves and stop talking. Plan A01: Rain Destruction has been superseded by Plan B01: Distract and Extract.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“think you’re emotionally compromised right now.” That was … that was so completely not true. Stupid humans. Sure, I’d had an emotional breakdown with the whole evisceration thing, but I was fine now, despite the drop in performance reliability. Absolutely fine. And I had to kill the rest of the Targets in the extremely painful ways I’d been visualizing.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“It’s a good thing I don’t have a full human digestive system because I was so startled something would have popped out of it involuntarily.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“That didn’t make any sense but using logic with traumatized humans never works. (I could make a remark there about logic not working with humans, period, but I’m not going to do that.)”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“I try to avoid asking humans if there’s anything wrong with them. (Mostly because I don’t care.)”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“1)  CodeBundle.LockItDown had closed all the hatches on board except those directly between SecUnit 3’s position and the shuttle access. 2)  CodeBundle.FuckThem had fried all targetDrones. 3)  CodeBundle.FuckThisToo had cut the connections between the solid-state screen device and the humans’ implants. Oh, and I shut down life support on the bridge so the Targets in there would be thinking about other things besides restarting their screen.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“Target Two's gray face went surprised, then furious. It was kind of funny. This was a point where if I was a human (ick) I might have laughed. I decided to go with my first inclination and kill the shit out of some ass-faced hostiles instead. I told the Targets, "Angry, then afraid, then dead. Is that the right order?”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“I don’t want to not see you again.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“Data suggests family dramas bear a less than 10 percent resemblance to actual human families, which is unsurprising and also a relief, considering all the murders. In the dramas, not Mensah’s family.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“I wasn’t going to let him hurt me.” I said, “If I thought he was going to hurt you, I’d be disposing of his body. I don’t fuck around, either.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“I could play it back to listen in on the whole conversation but I could also punch myself in the head with a sampling drill and I was not going to do that, either.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“Oh shit, my media!...No, wait, I had access to some of it.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“I’d hacked my governor module and kept doing my job because I didn’t know what else to do (except you know, a murderous rampage, but murderous rampages are overrated and interfere with one’s ability to keep watching media)”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“Now she was talking to me like I was a hysterical human. Worse, I was acting like a hysterical human.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect