Scott Womble

“After thanking everyone from God on down and then back up to God again, and then, as a precaution, tacking on a blanket thank-you for any persons or supernatural beings he had left out, he began:”
― Neal Stephenson, Anathem

“The longer you live, the more you fail. Failure is the mark of a life well lived. In turn, the only way to live without failure is to be of no use to anyone. Trust me, I’ve practiced.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer

“He was thirty-two. Not old—but he felt old. His body, whatever its mutant mental powers, was physically weak. Every star! Every star he could see—and every star he couldn’t see. It must all be his! Revenge on all. On a humanity of which he wasn’t a part. On a Galaxy in which he didn’t fit.”
― Isaac Asimov, Second Foundation

“This was, as far as he was concerned, the real mystery of civilization – and for all that he exploited it he was, by the end, no closer to understanding it. This willingness of otherwise intelligent (well, reasonably intelligent) people to parcel up and then bargain away appalling percentages of their very limited lives, all in service to someone else. And the rewards? Ah, some security, perhaps. The cement that is stability. A sound roof, something on the plate, the beloved offspring each one destined to repeat the whole travail. And was that an even exchange?”
― Steven Erikson, Toll the Hounds