Centers of Gravity Quotes

“As much as I have hated so many things about the military life, I know that this is one of the things I will miss—the camaraderie, the small enjoyments after shared hardships, the gallows humor in tough situations, the trust in the troop next to you when you’re in a battle line and facing dangers together that would drive a civilian to the brink of madness.”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“There’s an old saying. ‘Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.’ Every time I’ve heard someone say it, they meant to talk some clever shit about teachers. But that’s not what it means at all. It just means that the people in the village who have aged out of their jobs still have something to contribute to the common good. They can pass down their knowledge. God knows you’ve earned yours the hard way. You can always stay on and get an academy billet. Become an instructor. Make sure those new kids learn how it’s done the right way. How to stay alive out there.”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“Math isn’t everything,” I say, repeating what Elin Vandenberg told me in the science lab earlier. “Fuck the odds.”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“Whatever sleep I’ve had has been restless with unpleasant dreams I can only vaguely recall. I try to go back to sleep for a few minutes before resigning myself to the fact that I am wide awake now.”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“Ask me something only I would know.” “What do I get my mother for her birthday every year?” “Not a goddamn thing,”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“That’s all that’s left to do. We fight until we run out of bullets or bad guys, whichever comes first.”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“PACS, power-augmented combat systems,”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“However long our march home will be, we have just taken the first big step on the route, and we will keep putting one foot in front of the other, because that’s what humans do. Even when the odds against us are stacked up sky-high, we are terrible at sitting down and giving up.”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“Holy shit,” Sergeant Mills says. “Holy. Fucking. Shit.” “I’m going to have to agree,” Elin replies.”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“They pay us in beer and shiny buttons,” Martin replies. “But now they’ve cut off the beer on the ship, so I think I’m gonna quit. Just the buttons aren’t cutting it for me. We grunts aren’t idiots, you know.”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“ISTAR in every way. Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, reconnaissance.”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“Forty degrees average temperature.”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“Hypercapnic atmosphere.”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“I think that if it comes down to whether or not I can hit anything with a rifle, the mission is well and truly fucked anyway,”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“Fine. Try to make your case. And then I can tell you in great detail why it’s a terrible idea.”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“Just think. Soap and shampoo. Fifteen or twenty minutes under steaming hot water.” “I’m a married man, Sergeant. I don’t need to hear this kind of indecent talk,” I reply.”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity

“Good old Mr. Fusion”
― Marko Kloos, Centers of Gravity