“By this point he had seen enough of them to know that they were cooler under pressure, and better to be within a tight spot, than 999 out of 1,000 women. But their presence obliged him to divert a significant fraction of his attention into being considerate of their needs, responding to their inquiries, and keeping them alive.”
Day 21
Reamde (2011), Part II: American Falls
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Neal Stephenson 167
American science fiction writer 1959Related quotes

What Men Live By (1881)
Context: I thought: "I am perishing of cold and hunger, and here is a man thinking only of how to clothe himself and his wife, and how to get bread for themselves. He cannot help me. When the man saw me he frowned and became still more terrible, and passed me by on the other side. I despaired, but suddenly I heard him coming back. I looked up, and did not recognize the same man: before, I had seen death in his face; but now he was alive, and I recognized in him the presence of God.

Süddeutsche Zeitung, August 1997, Ralf Dombrowski

Source: Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), P. 71.