14 quotes
Man sells his soul to the devil, he spends the rest of his life trying to stockpile enough money to buy it back.
Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986)
The second you attain power, you become what you’ve been fighting against.
Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986)
I wish you were as bright as you think you are.
Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986)
No matter what kind of promises a man who’s looking for power makes, he’s not going to turn out to be any different from the one he replaces.
Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986)
The first duty of power is to perpetuate itself. The first duty of free men is to resist it.
Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986)
I may die unmourned, but I sure as hell don’t plan to die unavenged.
Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986)
Somewhere along the way he learned the most important lesson of all, which was that a king with no heirs had better never turn his back on anybody.
Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986)
You have many wonderful qualities, Virtue—you lie and cheat and blackmail and bluff with great panache, and you’re thoroughly delightful in bed—but you simply aren’t a skilled professional killer.
Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986)
“You never did tell me why you became a bounty hunter.”
“I’d been a terrorist for twelve years. The only thing I knew how to do really well was kill people.”
Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986)
“This is a grim business. There’s nothing romantic about harassing an overwhelming power with no hope of winning.”
“If he knows he can’t win, why does he do it?”
“To avoid losing.”
“That sounds profound, but it doesn’t make a hell of a lot of sense,” said Cain.
Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986)
“Let me suggest that sometimes it’s not a bad idea to judge a man by his enemies.”
“In your case it’s an absolute necessity,” said Cain sardonically. “I’ve met your friends.”
Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986)
“Why are you fighting it?”
“Because somebody has to.”
“That’s not much of a reason.”
“It’s the best reason there is,” said Santiago. “The first duty of power is to perpetuate itself. The first duty of free men is to resist it.”
Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986)
“You must have been a very serious young man.”
“Actually, I used to laugh a lot more than I do now.” He shrugged. “That was when I thought one moral man could make a difference. The only thing I find really funny these days is the fact that so many people still believe it.”
Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986)
“You’ve got quite a library. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many books in one place before.”
“I like the heft and feel of a book,” replied Santiago. “Computer libraries are filled with electrical impulses. Books are filled with words.”
Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986)