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41 " I had all these lofty theories about culture, and internalized mechanisms of control, but I hadn’t ever faced up to how much the world runs on crude, mindless violence until it was right in front of me. "
― Charlie Jane Anders , The City in the Middle of the Night
42 " Violence doesn’t settle everything,” Mouth grunted. “Sometimes violence just postpones a conversation that’s bound to happen sooner or later. But that can be useful in itself, to some people. "
43 " Part of how they make you obey is by making obedience seem peaceful, while resistance is violent. But really, either choice is about violence, one way or another. "
44 " Visele dau buzna în realitate tot timpul și nu-ți poți permite să-ți irosești energia enervându-te pe ele. "
45 " Nu călătoritul te îmbătrânea. Stabilirea într-un loc, oamenii de care te atașai, așteptările tale și asimilarea - astea te îmbătrâneau. "
46 " I remember you said, ‘The truth should hurt. Truth should knock you on your butt. Lies make it easy to stand. "
47 " Every language is good for lying. Even body language. If we didn’t lie, we couldn’t communicate. "
48 " There’s no right reason for wanting to make a difference "
49 " As these things go from being “moments that I need to survive right now” to “things that will always have happened to me, "
50 " I realize that human civilization is based on forgetting. If I own a pair of shoes that used to belong to you, then my ownership relies on your forgetfulness. Humans are experts at storing knowledge and forgetting facts, which is why we saw this city from orbit and then pushed all the evidence into a hole. And I can’t help thinking of what Bianca said when I asked her about the Hydroponic Garden Massacre: that progress requires us to curate the past, to remove from history things that aren’t “constructive.” I don’t know if our power to forget makes humans stronger, more self-destructive, or maybe both. "
51 " As these things go from being “moments that I need to survive right now” to “things that will always have happened to me,” I start to shiver. "
52 " Cities teemed with synesthesia. So many sounds and smells, a din of imagery, until your senses just gave up. "