Home > Work > New York
1 " Don't you know there's another bubble as well? An expectations bubble. Bigger houses, private planes, yachts... stupid salaries and bonuses. People come to desire these things and expect them. But the expectations bubble will burst as well, as all bubbles do. "
― Edward Rutherfurd , New York
2 " And he glanced down at Mercy beside him, and saw in her face such radiant goodness, such a calm certainty, that it seemed to him that if he could only be with her all his life, he should know a love, and happiness, and peace that he had never known before. "
3 " Imagine. Freedom. Always. "
4 " You can do what you like, sir, but I'll tell you this. New York is the true capital of America. Every New Yorker knows it, and by God, we always shall. "
5 " All empires become arrogant. It is their nature. "
6 " She was quiet for a moment or two. Then she said: 'Cruel words are a terrible thing, Quash. Sometimes you regret them. But what's been said cannot be unsaid. "
7 " Fate was cruel, but it was fate. "
8 " And suddenly it came to him. That Strawberry Fields garden he'd come from, and the Freedom Tower he'd been thinking of: taken together, didn't they contain the two words that said it all about this city, the two words that really mattered? It seemed to him that they did. Two words: the one an invitation, the other an ideal, an adventure, a necessity. "Imagine" said the garden. "Freedom" said the tower. Imagine freedom. That was the spirit, the message of this city he loved. You really didn't need anything more. Dream it and do it. But first you must dream it. "
9 " What he needed Gorham to understand - what his son was heir to - the thing that really mattered - was the New Yorkers indomitable spirit "
10 " It was politics and religion, in van Dyck’s private view, that made men dangerous. Trade made them wise. "
11 " Then he noticed the belt. He pulled it out. The thing had been handed down in the family since God knows when. His father had told: 'Better keep it. It's wampum. Supposed to be lucky.' William shrugged. He could sure as hell use some luck today. On an impulse, he decided to put it on. Under his shirt of course-- he didn't want to look like a damn fool. Then he dressed as usual, every inch the successful man. If he was going down, he'd go down in style. Anyway, you should never give up hope. "
12 " When people are angry, any insult will do; and prejudice is magnified into a cause. "
13 " Can you do it?' 'Maybe I can, and maybe I can't. But I am going to make MacDuff think that I can. And belief,' said Gabriel Love, with the smile of an angel, 'is a wonderful thing. "
14 " I'll be damned if I'm going to miss the overture and finale when I've payed good money for it... You can go, but I'm staying. "
15 " Don’t rule your husband. But arrange the conditions in which he will make his choices. "
16 " Human nature, gentleman. It is original sin that leads men to misfortune, every time. I am a speculator in the market, gentlemen, and that is part of God's plan. Men only learn through suffering. So I punish human weakness, and God rewards me. "
17 " Gotham admired Maeve. By day she managed money, and did it brilliantly, but she didn't find it satisfied her intellect. She spoke four languages. She played the piano seriously well. And she read books. Lots of them. "
18 " Never mind,' Gertchen said with a smile, 'you'll have to be pagan today. "
19 " A New Yorker can never be beat, Gorham, because he gets right back up again. Remember that. "
20 " They say that people should be free to do as they like. That’s what I think. But if they start preaching at me, they can go to hell. "