Nelson DeMille > Quotes

“The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you are finished.”
― Nelson De Mille

“The problem with doing nothing is that you never know when you're finished.”
― Nelson DeMille

“Basically, all women are nurturers and healers, and all men are mental patients to varying degrees.”
― Nelson DeMille, The General's Daughter

“Sometimes shit happens even if you have a shit shield”
― Nelson Demille

“A lot of our perception of history is influenced by inaccurate movies.”
― Nelson DeMille, Plum Island

“Women need a reason to have sex; men need only a place.”
― Nelson DeMille, Wild Fire

“It's really scary when you have a moment of temporary sanity.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“…made me promise to cut down on the drinking and swearing, which I have. Unfortunately, this has left me dim-witted and nearly speechless.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“...the most common cause of death among alpha males was ego.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“The meaning of life has not much to do with good and evil, right and wrong, duty, honor, country, or any of that.

It has to do with cutting the right deal.”
― Nelson DeMille

“I continued, “The painting shows this fish with a big eye and a halo, floating in air, and underneath the fish are all these Native Americans having sex.” “What? What does that have to do with Custer’s Last Stand?” “Well, the painting is titled, Holy Mackerel, Look at All Those Fucking Indians.”
― Nelson DeMille, Wild Fire

“Job happiness is directly proportional to the distance you are from the home office.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion's Game

“Everyone looked pensive, which is good cover-up for clueless.”
― Nelson DeMille, Plum Island

“I turned to the Times crossword puzzle and asked Kate, “What’s the definition of a moderate Arab?” “I don’t know.” “A guy who ran out of ammunition.”
― Nelson DeMille, Wild Fire

“Panic---a deep abiding, free-floating anxiety, often without any reason or logical basis.”
― Nelson DeMille, The General's Daughter

“I enjoy the presence of a woman in the house for brief periods of time. They fall into two categories: the organizers and the slobs. There’s probably a third category—the naggers, who try to get you to do things, but I’ve never run into one of those. Oddly, I have no preference regarding oganizers or slobs, as long as they don’t try to pick my clothes for me. Basically, all women are nurturers and healers, and all men are mental patients to varying degrees. It works fine if people stick to their fated roles. But nobody does.”
― Nelson DeMille, The General's Daughter

“Mrs. Corey still uses her maiden name for business, or when she wants to pretend she doesn’t know me.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“Nostalgia is basically the ability to forget the things that sucked.”
― Nelson DeMille, Up Country

“Kate had never been married, so she had no way of knowing if I was a normal husband. This has been good for our marriage.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“Most guys arrived here normal, and they were shocked and sickened by the behavior of the guys who'd been here a while. Then within a few weeks, they'd stop being shocked, and within a few months a lot of them joined the club of the crazies. And most of them, I think, went home and became normal again, though some didn't. But I never once saw anyone here who had gone around the bend ever return to normal while they were still here. It only got worse because in this environment they'd lost any sense of. . . humanity. Or you could be nice and say they'd become desensitized. It was actually more frightening than sickening. A guy who'd sliced off the ear of a VC he'd killed that morning would be joking with the village kids and the old Mama-sans that afternoon and handing out candy. I mean, they weren't evil or psychotic, we were normal, which is was really scared the hell out of me.”
― Nelson DeMille, Up Country

“The window on the right featured contemporary bestselling authors like Brad Meltzer, James Patterson, David Baldacci, Nelson DeMille, and others who make more money writing about what I do than I make doing what I do.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Book Case

“I want to be back to work next week.
'Let’s get you home first. I need to evaluate the extent of your mental impairment.' She tried to flash me the peace sign, but in her weakend condition, she only managed to raise her middle finger.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“I don't like mysteries, which is why I want to solve them. It bothers me that there are things I don't know.”
― Nelson DeMille, Plum Island

“Somehow, amid all the sophistication and diversions of this world, we forgot the basics: take care of business at home first, and never betray your blood.”
― Nelson DeMille, The General's Daughter

“How you doing at 26 Fed?"
“I’m growing and learning, meeting new challenges with confidence and enthusiasm while developing good work ethics and people skills.”
“I’m surprised they haven’t fired your ass.”
“Me too.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Lion

“What these people were trying to create or re-create here in this new world is beyond me. I can't put myself in their minds or their hearts, but I can sympathize with their struggle for an identity, with their puzzlement, which has troubled Americans from the very beginning - Who are we, where do we fit in, where are we going?”
― Nelson DeMille, Gold Coast

“You get a promotion?"
"I got a polite, but firm suggestion to be a team player. [...]"
"You got off easy. One of my commanding officers once threw a paperweight at me."
"We're a bit more subtle.”
― Nelson DeMille, Night Fall

“Fate whispered to the warrior, “You cannot withstand the coming storm.” And the warrior whispered back, “I am the storm.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Cuban Affair

“As with real estate, what matters with bullet holes is location, location, location.”
― Nelson DeMille, Plum Island

“People who worry about what others think of them would be surprised at how little they did.”
― Nelson DeMille, The Charm School