The Baron

“The victims’ heads and penises are placed between their legs; only one of the dead has been allowed to retain his manhood. Uncomfortable as it may be, we must assume that the ancient Egyptians of Narmer’s time routinely humiliated their defeated enemies in this way.”
― Toby Wilkinson, The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt

“People don't want a bookkeeper for an Emperor; they want a master, someone who'll protect them from change.”
― Frank Herbert, Dune Messiah

“Even when portrayed as a man, Hatshepsut often used grammatically feminine epithets, describing herself as the daughter (rather than son) of Ra, or the lady (rather than lord) of the Two Lands. The tension between male office and female officeholder was never satisfactorily resolved. Little wonder that Hatshepsut’s advisers came up with a new circumlocution for the monarch. From now on, the term for the palace, per-aa (literally “great house”), was applied also to its chief inhabitant. Peraa—pharaoh—now became the unique designation of the Egyptian ruler. While”
― Toby A.H. Wilkinson, The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt

“Whatever the fuck might you be talking about, Carolyn dear?”
― Scott Hawkins, The Library at Mount Char