“ People who claim they are motivated by the Purpose end up behaving differently—and generally better—than people who serve other masters. So it is like believing in God. Maybe yes. But without the theo… Neal Stephenson
“ People are my books, Ty said. But I did bring a couple, in case the people all go to sleep. Neal Stephenson
“ Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs, I said. We have a protractor. Neal Stephenson
“ Other people - store clerks, burger flippers, software engineers, the whole vocabulary of meaningless jobs that make up Life in America - other people just rely on plain old competition. Better flip y… Neal Stephenson
“ On certain hilltops grew spruce forests, as fine and dense and soft-looking as the pelts of Arctic mammals. When the wind gusted through these, a sound issued from them that was like icy water hurryin… Neal Stephenson
“ Now, there was a time when we believed that what a human mind could accomplish was determined by genetic factors. Piffle, of course, but it looked convincing for many years, because distinctions betwe… Neal Stephenson
“ My lady, Percival began. He had called her that yesterday, and she had guessed it was some kind of elaborate sarcasm. But this didn't seem like the time for unpleasant jibes. Maybe it was just the way… Neal Stephenson
“ Meetings had never been her strong suit. She felt like she was playing an away game whenever she sat down in a conference room. Her awareness of this got in the way and turned into a self-fulfilling p… Neal Stephenson
“ Many a ship's officer, caught in a storm or battle, and seized by a natural tendency to freeze up in terror, was moved to action by the vivid helplessness of his crew. Neal Stephenson
“ Like two arms of a snowflake, Mind and Matter grew out of a common center—and even though they grew independently and without communicating—each developing according to its own internal rules—neverthe… Neal Stephenson
“ Like a couple of peasants huddled together in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Jack and Eliza performed their role in the Mass and then departed, leaving no sign that they’d ever been there, save perhaps… Neal Stephenson
“ Lawrence immediately saw that it was a trick question. You would have to be some kind of idiot to make the facile assumption that the current would add or subtract 5 miles per hour to or from the spee… Neal Stephenson
“ Julia Bliss Flaherty, as Ivy now realized, was of the same stripe. Pinned down and obliged to justify herself, she would explain her actions in terms of some altruistic plan. And she might even believ… Neal Stephenson
“ Jedna z nejděsivějších věcí na skutečným inťoušovi pro většinu lidí není to, že se neumí chovat – protože to zažili všichni – ale spíš že se kvůli tomu vůbec necítí hloupě. Neal Stephenson
“ Izzy estaba llena de gente que se orientaba hacia el extremo Asperger del espectro social y la mejor forma de hacerla hablar era preguntarle por algún detalle técnico. Neal Stephenson
“ It's time to go, Vitaly says.You're telling me it's time to go? I've been waiting for you to wake up for anhour.As Hiro approaches, Vitaly watches his sword uncertainly. Vitaly's eyes are dryand red,… Neal Stephenson
“ It was difficult to sustain the illusion that education was of value for kids who would not live long enough to use it. They’d never take the standardized tests that they were prepping for. In a way,… Neal Stephenson
“ In any soul, the Condemned Man argued, was the ability to create a whole world, as big and variegated as the one that he and the Magistrate lived in. But if this was true of the Innocent, it was true… Neal Stephenson
“ In any crisis, survivors will always berate themselves that they could have done more, Léna said, almost to herself. She blinked and then her sharp focus returned to Ocyrhoe. I should get you out of R… Neal Stephenson
