Backlash Quotes

“if you weren’t cheating, you weren’t trying.”
― Brad Thor, Backlash

“Life is short. Love who you are. Love what you do. Make every day count.”
― Brad Thor, Backlash

“Revenge was a bitter medicine. It didn’t cure suffering. It didn’t provide closure. It only hollowed you out further.”
― Brad Thor, Backlash

“contained a suture kit, more water purification tablets, Russian aspirin, blood-clotting gauze, an Israeli-style wrap bandage, tweezers, six Russian-style Band-Aids of varying sizes, two antibacterial wipes, a small tube of antiseptic ointment, and an electrolyte drink mix. The fourth and final pouch in the ditch kit was emblazoned with words Harvath didn’t know. Opening it up, he looked inside. As soon as he saw the signal mirror, he knew exactly what this bag was—a SERE kit. In addition to the mirror, there was a compass, a whistle, more stormproof matches, more water purification tablets, a small notebook and pen, a silk scarf printed with panels containing survival instructions, more hextabs, a flint and striker, a packet of sunscreen, and some mosquito wipes. Opening the flare gun case, he examined its contents. In keeping with similar setups from the Soviet days, the kit included the pistol itself and four flares, beneath which was a conversion tube. When inserted into the barrel, it allowed for firing of .45 or .410 ammunition. Two cardboard boxes with five rounds of each”
― Brad Thor, Backlash

“in history had been won not by those with the greatest number of troops, but rather those with the largest commitment to winning the fight.”
― Brad Thor, Backlash

“Everything was about state of mind and how he chose to perceive his situation. The people who felt powerless were the ones who wouldn’t make it.”
― Brad Thor, Backlash

“Those who would trade a little liberty for a little security deserved neither and would lose both. The”
― Brad Thor, Backlash

“There was no moral equivalence among systems of government, their leaders, or cultures. Any society that did not respect human rights or the rule of law could not consider itself the equal of those that did.”
― Brad Thor, Backlash

“Vengeance was a necessary function of a civilized world, particularly at its margins, in its most remote and wild regions. Evildoers, unwilling to submit to the rule of law, needed to lie awake in their beds at night worried about when justice would eventually come for them. If laws and standards were not worth enforcing, then they certainly couldn’t be worth following.”
― Brad Thor, Backlash

“Those who would trade a little liberty for a little security deserved neither and would lose both.”
― Brad Thor, Backlash

“back to the border with Belarus. Though he would have liked to have gotten some sleep, he kept his eyes open and his head on a swivel the entire way. When they met up with the Old Man’s smugglers and said their good-byes, he thanked her. She had taken a lot of risks on his behalf and he wanted her to know how much he appreciated it. Without her, this could have very well turned into a suicide operation. Climbing into the smuggler’s truck, he made himself comfortable for his next six hours of driving to the border with Poland. There, he’d at least be back in NATO territory, though he couldn’t let his guard down. At least not fully. It wasn’t until he was back on The Carlton Group jet and in the air that the weight of everything he had been under started to lift. Once he was in international airspace, he got up and poured himself a drink. Returning to his seat, he raised the glass and toasted the Old Man. He hoped that somewhere, up there, Reed was proud of him. As he sat there, sipping his bourbon, Harvath conducted a mental after-action report. He went over every single detail, contemplating what he could have done differently, and where appropriate, what he could have done better. Once his review was complete, he went through all of it again, looking for anything that might identify Alexandra, or tie her directly to him. Fortunately, there was nothing he could come up with to be worried about. From Josef’s hospital where she had avoided the cameras and had stayed bundled up, to the interaction with Minayev’s mistress where she had worn the balaclava, and finally to the security guards at Misha’s loft where she had been wearing a dark wig and heavy makeup while making sure to never face the cameras, she had been the perfect partner. Even outside on Moscow’s streets, she had made sure they stayed in the shadows. Alexandra, thinking of everything, had taken down the telephone number of the management company for the building where they had left the hospital worker tied up. She had promised to phone in either a noise complaint or some sort of anonymous tip, so that the man would be found and cut loose. He didn’t know how she planned to get the envelopes”
― Brad Thor, Backlash

“The Chief made several more notes. "Any PTSD?"
McGee shook his head. "The joke in our industry is that guys like Harvath don't get PTSD, they give it.”
― Brad Thor, Backlash

“The Russians wanted to enjoy the peace and prosperity of a civilized world, without the encumbrances of following any of its laws.”
― Brad Thor, Backlash

“U.S. Navy SEAL Jack Carr (ret.) was once again incredibly helpful with details for this book. He also continues to be one hell of a thriller author. If you haven’t checked out his books yet, do it. You’ll love his writing. Thank you, Jack.”
― Brad Thor, Backlash

“That wasn’t why he had accepted this job. He had accepted it because someone needed to be willing to stand up and do the right thing for the nation, no matter what the personal cost.”
― Brad Thor, Backlash