Patricia > Patricia's Quotes

“Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign

“Some prices are just too high, no matter how much you may want the prize. The one thing you can't trade for your heart's desire is your heart.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, Memory

“When you choose an action, you choose the consequences of that action. When you desire a consequence you had damned well better take the action that would create it.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, Memory

“I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don't know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.”
― Martha Wells, All Systems Red

“Just remember you’re not alone here.” I never know what to say to that. I am actually alone in my head, and that’s where 90 plus percent of my problems are.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“I was having an emotion, and I hate that.”
― Martha Wells, Exit Strategy

“You may have noticed that when I do manage to care, I’m a pessimist.”
― Martha Wells, All Systems Red

“There needs to be an error code that means “I received your request but decided to ignore you.”
― Martha Wells, Rogue Protocol

“I said, "Sometimes people do things to you that you can't do anything about. You just have to survive it and go on.”
― Martha Wells, Artificial Condition

“Gurathin turned to me. "So you don't have a governor module, but we could punish you by looking at you."

I looked at him. "Probably, right up until I remember I have guns built into my arms.”
― Martha Wells, All Systems Red

“ART said, What does it want?

To kill all the humans, I answered.

I could feel ART metaphorically clutch its function. If there were no humans, there would be no crew to protect and no reason to do research and fill its databases. It said, That is irrational.

I know, I said, if the humans were dead, who would make the media? It was so outrageous, it sounded like something a human would say.”
― Martha Wells, Artificial Condition

“Possibly I was overthinking this. I do that; it’s the anxiety that comes with being a part-organic murderbot. The upside was paranoid attention to detail. The downside was also paranoid attention to detail.”
― Martha Wells, Exit Strategy

“I hate caring about stuff. But apparently once you start, you can't just stop.”
― Martha Wells, Rogue Protocol

“Young humans can be impulsive. The trick is keeping them around long enough to become old humans.”
― Martha Wells, Artificial Condition

“I didn’t care what humans were doing to each other as long as I didn’t have to a) stop it or b) clean up after it.”
― Martha Wells, Artificial Condition

“Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas. (Yes, that was sarcasm.)”
― Martha Wells, Rogue Protocol

“As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.”
― Martha Wells, All Systems Red

“ART said, "I want an apology."
I made an obscene gesture at the ceiling with both hands. (I know ART isn't the ceiling but the humans kept looking up there like it was.)
ART said, "That was unnecessary."
In a low voice, Ratthi commented to Overse, "Anyone who thinks machine intelligences don't have emotions needs to be in this very uncomfortable room right now.”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“They were all so nice and it was just excruciating. I was never taking off the helmet again. I can't do even the half-assed version of this stupid job if I have to talk to humans.”
― Martha Wells, All Systems Red

“It would have been hilarious if I wasn’t about to die. It was still a little hilarious.”
― Martha Wells, Exit Strategy

“So the plan wasn't a clusterfuck, it was just circling the clusterfuck target zone, getting ready to come in for a landing.”
― Martha Wells, Exit Strategy

“The sense of urgency just wasn’t there. Also, you may have noticed, I don’t care.”
― Martha Wells, All Systems Red

“So they made us smarter. The anxiety and depression were side effects.”
― Martha Wells, Artificial Condition

“If I got angry at myself for being angry I would be angry constantly and I wouldn’t have time to think about anything else.) (Wait, I think I am angry constantly. That might explain a lot.)”
― Martha Wells, Network Effect

“Or Miki was a bot who had never been abused or lied to or treated with anything but indulgent kindness. It really thought its humans were its friends, because that’s how they treated it. I signaled Miki I would be withdrawing for one minute. I needed to have an emotion in private.”
― Martha Wells, Rogue Protocol

“Disinformation, which is the same as lying but for some reason has a different name, is the top tactic in corporate negotiation/warfare.”
― Martha Wells, Exit Strategy

“Mostly something called Sanctuary Moon.” He shook his head, dismissing it. “It’s probably using it to encode data for the company. It can’t be watching it, not in that volume; we’d notice.” I snorted. He underestimated me. Ratthi said, “The one where the colony’s solicitor killed the terraforming supervisor who was the secondary donor for her implanted baby?” Again, I couldn’t help it. I said, “She didn’t kill him, that’s a fucking lie.” Ratthi turned to Mensah. “It’s watching it.”
― Martha Wells, All Systems Red

“It was very dramatic, like something out of a historical adventure serial. Also correct in every aspect except for all the facts, like something out of a historical adventure serial.”
― Martha Wells, Exit Strategy

“Yeah, good luck with that. Trying to get humans not to touch dangerous things was a full-time job.”
― Martha Wells, Fugitive Telemetry

“They were all annoying and deeply inadequate humans, but I didn’t want to kill them. Okay, maybe a little.”
― Martha Wells, Rogue Protocol