Blowback (Scot Harvath, #4) QUOTES

1 " For instance,” said Alan, “we’re now learning that the smallpox pandemics of the Middle Ages, not the plague, mind you, but smallpox, left generations of people with a rare genetic defect that protects them against infection by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. We estimate that approximately one percent of people descended from northern Europeans are virtually immune to HIV infection. "

― Brad Thor , Blowback (Scot Harvath, #4)

3 " If there’s one lesson I’ve learned, it’s that life is all about change, and stress comes from avoiding change. "

― Brad Thor , Blowback (Scot Harvath, #4)

5 " Ancient Greek mythology claims that Dionysus, the god of wine, had been insulted by a passing mortal and swore that you would take revenge on the next one that came this way. He conjured up a team of ferocious tigers just as a beautiful young maiden was approaching. The maiden’s name was Amethyst, and she was on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Artemis. As Dionysus released the Tigers, Artemis turned Amethyst into a statue of pure crystalline to protect her from the tiger’s claws. Upon seeing the beautiful statue, Dionisio wept wine–filled tears of regret, which stained the statue a deep shade of purple. From that moment on, the amethyst stone was known to hold significant protective properties. Apparently, as the myth recounts, amethysts could even protect you from the wrath of gods themselves. - Dr. Davidson "

― Brad Thor , Blowback (Scot Harvath, #4)

7 " How these poisons survived is really not what’s important. The point is that for some reason historians all too often choose to overlook the ancients’ skillful manipulation of nature. They’d rather believe that’s soldiers of old adhere to the highest moral codes in battle, but this just isn’t the case. The ancient world is filled with terrifying precursors to today’s sophisticated chem-bio weapons: from flamethrowers and incendiary devices, all the way to poison gases and dirty bombs. And they did it all without the help of modern science. – Jillian Alcott "

― Brad Thor , Blowback (Scot Harvath, #4)

9 " Absence of fear didn’t make your brave; it was what you did in spite of being afraid. — Scot Harvath "

― Brad Thor , Blowback (Scot Harvath, #4)

11 " It doesn’t matter. In their minds we are an extension of Europe. Everything the West is, whether it’s Europe or America, is connected. Seven minutes or seven centuries ago, it’s all the same to them. They paint us with the same brush. It’s frustrating as hell, but these people just don’t think the way we do. - Jack Rutledge "

― Brad Thor , Blowback (Scot Harvath, #4)

13 " With its street crime, prostitutes, and drug dealers, Milan was second only to Naples as the seediest city in Italy. "

― Brad Thor , Blowback (Scot Harvath, #4)

15 " Citing the Koran, the Saudis claimed to be preserving their Islamic values by blocking access to any materials that contradicts their beliefs or might influence their culture. All this while they smoked, drank, did drugs, and whored in foreign countries. The hypocrisy of it all we have been amusing is the net affect wasn’t so lamentable for the average Saudi citizen. "

― Brad Thor , Blowback (Scot Harvath, #4)