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81 " Here's a comforting thought for you, Peter,' he said. 'However long you may live, the world will never lose its ability to surprise you with its beauty. "
― Ben Aaronovitch , Lies Sleeping (Rivers of London, #7)
82 " Blackstone's Police Operational Handbook recommends the ABC of serious investigation: Assume nothing, Believe nothing, and Check everything. "
― Ben Aaronovitch , Moon Over Soho (Rivers of London, #2)
83 " Once the telephone had been invented, it was only a matter of time before the police got in on the new technology and, first in Glasgow and then in London, the police box was born. Here a police officer in need of assistance could find a telephone link to Scotland Yard, a dry space to do “paperwork” and, in certain extreme cases, a life of adventure through space and time. "
― Ben Aaronovitch , The Hanging Tree (Rivers of London, #6)
84 " I texted Nightingale to let him know our change in disposition and then I picked up my Pliny, because nothing says stuck all alone in your flat like a Roman know-it-all "
― Ben Aaronovitch , Broken Homes (Rivers of London, #4)
85 " As Conan the Barbarian famously said, “That which does not kill us does not kill us. "
― Ben Aaronovitch , Whispers Under Ground (Rivers of London, #3)
86 " In the 1960s the planning department of the London County Council, whose unofficial motto was Finishing What the Luftwaffe Started, decided that what London really needed was a series of orbital motorways driven through its heart. "
87 " When the Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812, the British, in time-honoured fashion, abandoned their allies. Who were subsequently wiped out by the Americans along with any other tribes that happened to be in the same general vicinity – even those that had actually been allied with the US government during the war. It’s exactly this sort of thing, of course, which gives colonialism a bad name. "
88 " Five hundred years ago the notoriously savvy Henry VIII discovered an elegant way to solve both his theological problems and his personal liquidity crisis - he dissolved the monasteries and nicked all their land. Since the principle of any rich person who wants to stay rich is, never give anything away unless you absolutely have to, the land has stayed with Crown ever since. "
89 " A major investigation, once it gets underway, is as exciting as watching reruns of Big Brother, although possibly involving less sex and violence. "
― Ben Aaronovitch , Rivers of London (Rivers of London, #1)
90 " I think you’re going to find Marcus Aurelius particularly useful.’ ‘For what?’ I asked. Nightingale hesitated. ‘Quoting, mainly,’ he said. ‘And thus maintaining an air of erudition and authority. "
― Ben Aaronovitch , The Furthest Station (Rivers of London, #5.5)
91 " The mark was from the glue that once held a folder into which a library card would have fitted back in the day when dinosaurs roamed the earth and computers were the size of washing machines. "
92 " There's nothing quite like Latin for disguising the fact that you're making it up as you go along. "
― Ben Aaronovitch , Foxglove Summer (Rivers of London, #5)
93 " Ethically challenged magical practitioners,” I said. "
94 " Peter Grant,’ I said. ‘Recent arrival, slacker and man of very little fame. "
95 " The word “bollocks” is one of the most beautiful and flexible in the English language. It can be used to express emotional states ranging from ecstatic surprise to weary resignation in the face of inevitable disaster. "
96 " one of the first rules of police work is that trouble will always come looking for you, so there’s no point looking for it. "
97 " Ghosts, I was thinking, memories - I wasn't sure there was a difference. "
98 " The kitchen was the kind of brushed steel monstrosity that looks more like it's designed to weaponise viruses than cook dinner. "
99 " The Magic Circle by John William Waterhouse [...] stuck in my mind because of the subject's flagrant health and safety violation. As any competent practitioner will tell you, you always complete your protective circle *before* you start your workings. "
100 " She had the startled-rabbit look that civilians get after five minutes of helping the police with their inquiries. If they stay calm for too long it’s a sign that they’re professional villains or foreign or just plain stupid. All of which can get you locked up if you’re not careful. If you find yourself talking to the police, my advice is to stay calm but look guilty; it’s your safest bet. "