16 quotes
The more he asserted it, the less they believed him, which is human nature for you.
The Devil You Know (2016)
Nothing helps a lie succeed more than a generous helping of the truth.
The Devil You Know (2016)
There is no word for artist in the Mysian language; instead there’s a long-winded periphrasis that translates as man-who-deceives-others-into-giving-food-by-spoiling-bits-of-wood.
The Devil You Know (2016)
Take anything to its logical conclusion and you’re likely to end up with the grotesque and the absurd.
The Devil You Know (2016)
Our lot may be all-seeing and all-knowing, but that’s a long way removed from all-understanding.
The Devil You Know (2016)
The great thing about not necessarily believing in your beliefs is that it’s so much easier to revise them.
The Devil You Know (2016)
That’s bureaucracy for you. Never follow a straight line when a spiral will get you there eventually.
The Devil You Know (2016)
Why get so worked up about a nonexistent threat? Answer: someone somewhere is covering something up.
The Devil You Know (2016)
It’s a basic tenet of military science. No stronghold can be taken if a mule laden with gold bars can leave it unobserved.
The Devil You Know (2016)
“But the unforeseen consequences—”
“What consequences?”
“I don’t know, I can’t foresee them.”
The Devil You Know (2016)
He had the answer to the secret of the universe in his hands, but he was more interested in saving his own neck and making money. Extraordinary man.
The Devil You Know (2016)
Evolution takes no prisoners. A loathsome philosophy, but hard to argue against. Repulsive, but entirely valid. Otherwise, the Earth would still be populated by giant pea-brained lizards.
The Devil You Know (2016)
“The doctrine of sides,” he went on, “states that there is no right or wrong, only different perspectives. From where I stand, such and such a thing looks like a tree; from where you stand, it looks like a rock. For tree and rock, read sin and virtue.”
The Devil You Know (2016)
The fact is, the more you look for something, the likelier you are to find it, even if isn’t actually there; sooner or later, if you look hard enough, you’ll find something. The trick is then to interpret what you’ve found as what you were looking for.
The Devil You Know (2016)
Query: if I’d had less brains and more money, would I have been happier? Answer: if a circle had four straight sides, wouldn’t it be a square?
The Devil You Know (2016)
You’re not supposed to be always on the doorstep clamouring for instructions. Use your discretion and your initiative, they say, that’s why you’re the grade you are. And then, when it all goes wrong, it’s all your fault. What on Earth possessed you to do all that without checking back first? How could you have been so stupid?
The Devil You Know (2016)