Enemy at the Gates Quotes

“It would be so easy to turn the Agency against the very American people it was meant to serve. All that would have to happen is for the definition of “enemy of the state” to drift to “enemy of the administration.”
― Kyle Mills, Enemy at the Gates

“It’s your unwavering belief in America. In the glory of it. In its uniqueness. I realized it was all lies a long time ago and now I fear it’s your turn. Soon the curtain will be pulled back and you’ll see that your country is no different than any other. Democracy is an interesting idea but if you look at history, it’s an idea that burns bright but short. With the widening divisions in your country and the man you just elected to lead you, that flame is beginning to”
― Kyle Mills, Enemy at the Gates

“I used to believe in God. And even the royalty. Now I see the first as delusional and the second as naïve. All that pomp and circumstance is just a weapon the strong use against the weak. And a strangely effective one. Have you ever thought about how these men gain power? We give it willingly to precisely the ones who shouldn’t have it. There’s something that attracts us to their insatiable hunger. Their ruthless, single-minded drive. We toil and die for them expecting nothing in return. Dreaming that one day they’ll bless us with a word or a casual wave of the hand. Knowing that eventually we’ll be discarded without a thought.”
― Kyle Mills, Enemy at the Gates

“America? It was being taken over by corrupt politicians, a mainstream media bent on whipping up divisions, and an Internet full of crazies.”
― Kyle Mills, Enemy at the Gates

“An even cursory survey of history suggested that the unparalleled equality and freedom the average person had enjoyed over the last seventy-five years was an aberration. Nothing more than a bubble created by a perfect storm of the postwar economic boom, industrial revolution, and rise of workers’ unions. Now, though, that bubble was bursting. An international ruling class was forming. Borders were becoming increasingly meaningless to that privileged group, as was citizenship and the rule of law. Going forward, alliances would no longer be forged between countries so much”
― Kyle Mills, Enemy at the Gates

“I wish I could send everyone in America to live under the dictatorship in Turkmenistan. Or to spend a little time in a New Delhi slum. Maybe they’d gain a little perspective about how good they have it. But I can’t. So instead, they’ll listen to politicians tell them how they’re getting screwed. Or the media telling them about all the things that can kill them. Or some YouTube influencer showing off their fake idyllic life.”
― Kyle Mills, Enemy at the Gates

“More and more, the United States felt like it was collapsing into some kind of internal Cold War. Views that only a few years ago would have been considered tinfoil-hat territory were now being discussed by straight-faced mainstream newscasters. Extremists on both sides of the political spectrum were flailing around breaking things with no apparent goals in mind other than to harm each other. And all the while, politicians did what they’d been doing for a thousand years—trying to figure out how to use it all to cling to power.”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates

“Unfamiliar, but not hard to understand. More and more, the United States felt like it was collapsing into some kind of internal Cold War. Views that only a few years ago would have been considered tinfoil-hat territory were now being discussed by straight-faced mainstream newscasters. Extremists on both sides of the political spectrum were flailing around breaking things with no apparent goals in mind other than to harm each other. And all the while, politicians did what they’d been doing for a thousand years—trying to figure out how to use it all to cling to power.”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates

“Why wouldn’t he recognize that Washington was an operating environment that didn’t reward loyalty and courage? It rewarded treachery and self-interest. Adapt or die.”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates

“In the America of today, values and principles had been replaced by partisanship.”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates

“Voters didn’t care about public policy or economics or even their own well-being. What they wanted was to connect with their leadership on a gut level. To feel a part of something. To believe that they had power.”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates

“And America? It was being taken over by corrupt politicians, a mainstream media bent on whipping up divisions, and an Internet full of crazies.”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates

“An international ruling class was forming. Borders were becoming increasingly meaningless to that privileged group, as was citizenship and the rule of law. Going forward, alliances would no longer be forged between countries so much as individuals and private entities. Those shrewd, strong, and courageous enough to rule would be given that privilege. A privilege that would quickly become an unassailable right. Nationality, patriotism, and religion would go back to what they had been in centuries past—a convenient way to control the masses.”
― Kyle Mills, Enemy at the Gates

“flicker. And soon you will find yourself in the dark.”
― Kyle Mills, Enemy at the Gates

“One of his favorite quotes had been from Ben Franklin: Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead.”
― Kyle Mills, Enemy at the Gates

“At some point, wouldn’t it be easier to just do a competent job than to spend all your time covering your ass?”
― Kyle Mills, Enemy at the Gates

“you ever thought about how these men gain power? We give it willingly to precisely the ones who shouldn’t have it. There’s something that attracts us to their insatiable hunger. Their ruthless, single-minded drive. We toil and die for them expecting nothing in return. Dreaming that one day they’ll bless”
― Kyle Mills, Enemy at the Gates

“And America? It was being taken over by corrupt politicians, a mainstream media bent on whipping up divisions, and an Internet full of crazies.”
― Kyle Mills, Enemy at the Gates

“wouldn’t it be easier to just do a competent job than to spend all your time covering your ass?”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates

“it would be very much a mistake to paint Ward as either innocent or a victim.”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates

“I used to believe in God. And even the royalty. Now I see the first as delusional and the second as naïve. All that pomp and circumstance is just a weapon the strong use against the weak. And a strangely effective one.”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates

“could send everyone in America to live under the dictatorship in Turkmenistan. Or to spend a little time in a New Delhi slum. Maybe they’d gain a little perspective about how good they have it. But I can’t. So instead, they’ll listen to politicians tell them how they’re getting”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates

“It’s your unwavering belief in America. In the glory of it. In its uniqueness. I realized it was all lies a long time ago and now I fear it’s your turn. Soon the curtain will be pulled back and you’ll see that your country is no different than any other. Democracy is an interesting idea but if you look at history, it’s an idea that burns bright but short. With the widening divisions in your country and the man you just elected to lead you, that flame is beginning to flicker. And soon you will find yourself in the dark.”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates

“One of his favorite quotes had been from Ben Franklin: Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead.”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates

“Now, though, that bubble was bursting. An international ruling class was forming. Borders were becoming increasingly meaningless to that privileged group, as was citizenship and the rule of law. Going forward, alliances would no longer be forged between countries so much as individuals and private entities. Those shrewd, strong, and courageous enough to rule would be given that privilege. A privilege that would quickly become an unassailable right. Nationality, patriotism, and religion would go back to what they had been in centuries past—a convenient way to control the masses.”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates

“Once you put a romantic image in someone’s head, it’s hard to get it out.”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates

“yet.”
― Vince Flynn, Enemy at the Gates