Robert B. Parker > Quotes

“Yeah. Floyd is his batman."
His what?"
Batman, like in the British army, each officer had a batman, a personal servant."
You spend too much time reading, Spenser. You know more stuff that don't make you money than anybody I know.”
― Robert B. Parker, Mortal Stakes

“I pulled the MG in beside him at the curb and he got in.
"This thing ain't big enough for either one of us," he said. "When you getting something that fits?"
"It goes with my preppy look," I said. "You get one of these, they let you drive around the north shore, watch polo, anything you want."
I let the clutch in and turned right on Dartmouth.
"How you get laid in one of these?" Hawk said.
"You just don't understand preppy," I said. "I know it's not your fault. You're only a couple generations out of the jungle. I realize that. But if you're preppy you don't get laid in a car."
"Where do you get laid if you preppy?"
I sniffed. "One doesn't," I said.
"Preppies gonna be outnumbered in a while," Hawk said.”
― Robert B. Parker

“Has anyone ever told you," I said, "that you coalesce reality?"
"No. They only say that I'm good in the sack."
"They are accurate but limited," I said. "And if you give me their names I'll kill them.”
― Robert B. Parker

“I took my .38 out and looked to see that there were bullets in all the proper places. I knew there would be, but it did no harm to be careful. And I'd seen Clint Eastwood do it once in the movies.”
― Robert B. Parker, Small Vices

“I heard somebody define heaven once,” she said, looking at Pearl, “as a place where, when you get there, all the dogs you ever loved run to greet you.”
― Robert B. Parker

“Both our opinions are rooted in our experience," I said. "Both of them are true, it's just that we've had different experiences.”
― Robert B. Parker, A Catskill Eagle

“The key to growing up well, is being tough enough.


”
― Robert B. Parker

“You do the best you can and you deal with the consequences. It's all there is.”
― Robert B. Parker, A Catskill Eagle

“How about the wrong crowd," I said. "You getting in with them?"
"Not much luck," Paul said. "I'm trying like hell, but the wrong crowd doesn't seem to want me."
"Don't quit," I said. "You want something, you go after it. I was nearly thirty-five before I could get in with wrong crowd.”
― Robert B. Parker

“Because I love you,” I said. “Because you are in my life like the music at the edge of silence.”
― Robert B. Parker, Crimson Joy

“Halfway through my steak I caught sight of myself in the mirror behind the bar. I looked like someone who ought to eat alone. I didn't look in the mirror again.”
― Robert B. Parker, The Godwulf Manuscript

“It is one of the secrets of happiness that you know which battles you can win and which you can’t.”
― Robert B. Parker, Potshot

“We split a bottle of Norman cider. Not everybody sells Norman cider by the bottle.
"Has a European feel" Susan said.
"That sounds terrific" I said. "Can I have one?"
Susan grinned at me. "How did you ever get to be so big without growing up?" she said.
"Iron self-control" I said.”
― Robert B. Parker, Ceremony

“...You have any suggestions, make them. I'm in charge but humble. No need to salute when you see me."
Fraser said, "Mind if we snicker every once in a while behind your back?"
"Hell, no," I said. "Everyone else does.”
― Robert B. Parker, The Widening Gyre

“I liked the myth elements of Christmas. The way in which its origins reach back far beyond Jesus, to the rituals of people unknown to us. The celebration of the winter solstice. The coming of light in the darkest time.”
― Robert B. Parker, Silent Night

“The evening stretches out against the sky, I thought. Like a patient etherized upon a table. I grinned to myself. Live fast, die young, and have a literate corpse.”
― Robert B. Parker, Walking Shadow

“Shopping is never over,” Susan said. “It is merely suspended.”
― Robert B. Parker, The Widening Gyre

“The thing I like about Irish whiskey is that the more you drink the smoother it goes down. Of course that's probably true of antifreeze as well, but illusion is nearly all we have.”
― Robert B. Parker, Valediction

“Writer's block? I've never heard of a plumber complain about plumber's block.”
― Robert B. Parker

“Thank you sir," she said. "I hope that your friend feels better soon."
I shrugged. "The ways of the Lord" I said, "are often dark, but never pleasant.”
― Robert B. Parker, The Widening Gyre

“The room was amazing. It was all glass, including the domed roof, and in all directions it offered a view of the Atlantic Ocean stretching empty into the distance, hinting of eternity.”
― Robert B. Parker, Rough Weather

“None of us offered to shake hands. There was no advantage to letting somebody get hold of you.”
― Robert B. Parker, Appaloosa

“After a while I got hungry and went to the kitchen. There was nothing to eat. I drank another beer and looked again, and found half a loaf of whole wheat bread behind the beer in the back of the refrigerator...”
― Robert B. Parker, Mortal Stakes

“I headed straight into the setting sun, and rode west at an easy pace. It was going to be a long ride, and there was no reason to hurry.”
― Robert B. Parker, Appaloosa

“How the hell can you be liberated and accept alimony?” I said.
Again the smile, innocent, beautiful, glorious, and satanic. “Exploit the oppressor,” she said.”
― Robert B. Parker, The Widening Gyre

“REST IN PEACE, MR. PARKER.

'You want us to be surreptitious?' Hawk said.

'Surreptitious?' Sapp said.

'I educated in Head Start,' Hawk said.

'Really worked,' Sapp said.

'No reason to be covert,' I said.

'You too?' Sapp said.

'Nope,' I said. 'I'm a straight Anglo white guy of European ancestry. We're naturally smart.'

'You missed Bernard,' Sapp said.

'Tall straight Anglo white guy,' I said.

'Hey,' Bernard said.
”
― Robert B Parker

“Colt makes a heavy firearm." - Virgil Cole”
― Robert B. Parker, Appaloosa

“Pearl was hurring around my apartment, sniffing everything, including Rich Beaumont and Patty Giacomin, which neither of them like much.

"Can you get Pearl to settle down?" Paul asked.

"I could speak to her, but she'd continue to do what she wants, and I'd look ineffectual. My approach is to endorse everything she does."

Susan said, "Come here, Pearl." And Pearl went over to her, and Susan gave her a kiss on the mouth, and Pearl wagged her tail; and lapped Susan's face, and turned and went back and sniffed at Patty.”
― Robert B. Parker, Pastime

“I always loved it when I had a story to tell her, because her attention was complete and felt like sunlight.”
― Robert B. Parker, Pastime

“And so forth and so on.”
― Robert B. Parker, All Our Yesterdays