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8bae890
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The truth shall make you free, but first it will make you miserable.
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Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child |
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3163a2a
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What we have here is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
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Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child |
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192b035
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He found Pendergast's cool gaze on him, and he fidgeted. He'd forgotten about those eyes. They made you feel like you had just been stripped of your secrets.
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Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child |
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21079a8
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I'm afraid I don't suffer petty bureaucrats gladly. A very bad habit, but one I find hard to break. Nevertheless, you will find, Dr. Kelly, that humiliation and blackmail, when used judiciously, can be marvelously effective
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Douglas Preston Lincoln Child |
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eb90c5d
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How awful a knowledge of the truth can be.
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Douglas Preston |
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5145abc
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Already up to his waist in the quaking bog, Pendergast stopped struggling and stared up at his assassin. The icy glitter in the pale gray eyes spoke more eloquently of his hatred and despair than any words he might have spoken, and it shook Esterhazy to the core.
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Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child |
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878d70c
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I would ask the reader to pause for a moment and ponder the statistics. Statistics are mere numbers; they need to be translated into human experience. What would a 90 percent mortality rate mean to the survivors and their society? The Black Death in Europe at its worst carried off 30 to 60 percent of the population. That was devastating enough. But the mortality rate wasn't high enough to destroy European civilization. A 90 percent mortalit..
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Douglas Preston |
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8c42b67
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Most people are about as aware of their surroundings as a sea cucumber.
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Douglas Preston |
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7535451
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The Monster's crimes were so horrific that a mere man could not possibly have committed them. Satan, in the end, had to be invoked.
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Douglas Preston |
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9a2d76c
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The mandalas were meant to be objects of contemplation, aids to meditation, their proportions magically balanced to purify and calm the mind. To stare at a mandala was to experience, if only briefly, the nothingness that is at the heart of enlightenment.
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Douglas Preston |
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6630ab5
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What the hell was your pal Bertin demanding?" he asked. "Sipping syrup?" "It's a cocktail he prefers when he gets, ah, overly excited." "A cocktail?" "Of sorts. Lemon-lime soda, vodka, codeine in solution, and a Jolly Rancher candy." "A what?" "Bertin prefers the watermelon-flavored variety." D'Agosta shook his head. "Christ. Only in Louisiana." "Actually, I understand the concoction originated in Houston."
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humor
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Douglas Preston |
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7bcb18c
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Trying to fulfill earthly desires was like carrying water to the sea; a never- ending task, and an ultimately useless one.
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Douglas Preston |
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b888f10
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We live in a world gone crazy for resources. Everybody on Google Earth can look at this place now. If you don't move to protect it, it will disappear. Everything in the world is vulnerable.
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Douglas Preston |
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fb2e685
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Niccolo, for God's sake, they accused me of being an accessory to murder, they said I planted a gun at that villa, they've indicted me for making false statements and obstruction of justice! They threatened me if I ever return to Italy. And you tell me I shouldn't be concerned?" "My dear Douglas, anyone who is anybody in Italy is I offer you my congratulations on becoming a genuine Italian."
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Douglas Preston |
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7c3e7c2
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But we were just picnicking friends
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Douglas Preston |
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f584b87
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Sleep is an unfortunate biological requirement that both wastes time and leaves one vulnerable.
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sleep
pendergast
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Douglas Preston |
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48a8641
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There was a pause while Pendergast considered this. "I prefer hypocrisy to poverty."
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Douglas Preston |
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bf556f1
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The Tyrannosaurus rex was a creature of the jungle. She lived in the deepest forests and swamps of North America, not long after it had broken off from the ancient continent of Laurasia. Her territory encompassed more than five hundred square miles, and it stretched from the shores of the ancient Niobrara inland sea to the foothills of the newly minted Rocky Mountains.
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Douglas Preston |
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6e99259
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My idle curiosity might lead to something more official, if the lieutenant feels his work is being hindered by an officious, small-minded, self-important bureaucrat. Not you, of course. I speak in general terms only.
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Douglas Preston |
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28473ee
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Wine is like many of the fine experiences in life which take time and experience to extract their full pleasure and meaning.
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life
meaning-of-life
wine
pleasure
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Douglas Preston |
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a48d641
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quotation from Einstein: 'The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance.' I would suggest to Dr. Chauncy that in combination, the two qualities are even more alarming.
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Douglas Preston |
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2043fb3
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F. Scott Fitzgerald's quotation: The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function?
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Douglas Preston |
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279f20a
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When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
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Douglas Preston |
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4d516e1
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The town had a faint air of benign neglect that only added to its charm: a seaside village with white clapboard buildings, seagulls wheeling overhead, uneven brick sidewalks and local shops. They passed a gas station, several old storefronts with plate-glass windows, a diner, a funeral parlor, a movie theater turned into a bookstore, and an eighteenth-century sea captain's mansion, complete with widow's walk. A sign out front identified it ..
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Douglas Preston |
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76d53fb
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Religion arose as an effort to explicate the inexplicable, control the uncontrollable, make bearable the unbearable. Belief in a higher power became the most powerful innovation in late human evolution. Tribes with religion had an advantage over those without. They had direction and purpose, motivation and a mission. The survival value of religion was so spectacular that the thirst for belief became embedded in the human genome.
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Douglas Preston |
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bbc5de5
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you shall learn, if you haven't already, that in life insubordination is not only necessary but even, at times, exhilarating.
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Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child |
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045ba25
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People need history in order to know themselves,
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Douglas Preston |
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5919694
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Don't you love that phrase,
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Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child |
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0f0e6f7
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Carroting, you must understand, was a process by which animal fur is bathed in a solution of mercury nitrate, in order to render the hairs more supple, thus producing a superior felt." At this last word, he threw a significant glance in my direction. "Felt," I repeated. "You mean, for the making of hats?" "Precisely. The solution is of an orange colour, hence the term carroting. However, this process had rather severe side effects on those ..
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Douglas Preston |
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747b934
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There's a respected theory in astronomy called Panspermia," Glinn finally continued. "It holds that life may have spread through the galaxy in bacteria or spores carried on meteorites or in clouds of dust. But"
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Douglas Preston |
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6674849
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While dead men tell no tales, their corpses often speak volumes.
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Douglas Preston |
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63ec607
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But all was not well; a creeping rot--environmental, economic, and social--had been undermining its society for some time and would eventually lead to destruction.
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Douglas Preston |
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68c50f3
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You see, when someone says "it's impossible,' I have this very bad habit, I can't help myself, I immediately contradict that person in the most positive terms possible. A very bad habit, but one that I find hard to break."
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Douglas Preston |
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97634e1
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Gideon," he said, "think for a minute about the qualities that a leader--even a co-leader--is required to have. He's a team player. He's good at inspiring others. He's able to hide his true feelings, put up a false front when necessary. He projects confidence at all times--even if he doesn't feel confident. He can't be a freelancer. And he's certainly not a loner. Now, tell me: do any of these qualities describe you?"
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Douglas Preston |
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79fc036
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D'Agosta had long ago learned, when working with Pendergast, to never get caught without two things: a gun and a flashlight.
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Douglas Preston |
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13c0095
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Zero-sum games deal with resources that neither increase nor decrease in amount--they only shift from one player to the other. Given your present frame of mind, were you to speak now, I'm afraid you might say something rash. I would feel it incumbent to offer a rejoinder. As a result of this exchange, you would be mortified and humiliated, which--as dictated by the rules of game theory--would increase my influence and status at your expense..
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Douglas Preston |
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39abcdc
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The twentieth century showed us the evil face of physics. This century will show us the evil face of biology.
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Douglas Preston |
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8bdc47b
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Sometimes it takes courage--maybe all the courage you've got--to just live life.
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Douglas Preston |
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1955e25
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Human beings are disgustingly predictable, and this is as true of psychopaths as it is of grandmothers.
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Douglas Preston |
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3637543
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nothing is impossible. you just need to learn how to bend the rules.
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Douglas Preston |
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41d7144
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Perhaps it's not a matter of unimportant sites, but unimportant archaeologists.
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Douglas Preston |
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e3c40cc
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As we hoped, our kids began to learn Italian. One day Isaac sat down to dinner, looked at the plate of pasta we'd prepared, made a face, and said, "Che schifo!" a vulgar expression meaning "Gross!" We were so proud." --
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Douglas Preston |
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87baaa8
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Fortune makes promises to many, keeps them to none. Live for each day, live for the hours, since nothing is forever yours.
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Douglas Preston |
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834f67b
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to be a witness to evil is to be human.
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Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child |