# Neal Stephenson - Quotes: 175 - Author page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson ## Books - [Anathem](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/anathem.md) — 2 quotes - [Quicksilver](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/quicksilver.md) — 23 quotes - [Reamde](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/reamde.md) — 62 quotes - [The Diamond Age](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/the-diamond-age.md) — 57 quotes - [The System Of The World](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/the-system-of-the-world.md) — 4 quotes - [Zodiac](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/zodiac.md) — 27 quotes ## Recently added quotes > So I’m well aware that there are certain people frustrated with the endings of my books…Once you write a book or two with controversial endings — and that meme gets going, of “Stephenson can’t write endings” — then that gets slapped on everything that you do no matter how elaborate the ending is. I think Anathem does OK on that score. I’m sure that I’ll be hearing from some of the “Stephenson can’t write endings” people, but I think that it has a decent enough ending. [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/anathem/so-im-well.md) > As far as culture and politics are concerned, the important theme is long-attention-span vs. short-attention-span thinking. I'm sure that your readers can think of any number of ways in which having a longer attention span can be useful. But I'll name one. Bankers with long attention spans don't lend money to people who can't pay it back. If we had more bankers who adopted a long-term view of their responsibilities, we might not be in the middle of a financial crisis that is blowing away 150-year-old investment banks. [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/anathem/as-far-as-culture.md) > “I’m sorry I touched your doll,” Olivia said. “I had no idea how important Thorakks was to you.” > > Silence, as none of the men knew how to cope with her tactical use of the word “doll.” > > “Wow, how do you rate having a doll made of your personal character?” > > “It’s called an action figure.” [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/reamde/im-sorry-i-touched.md) > “I notice you’re not referring to him as ‘the little fucker’ anymore,” said Corvallis. > > “Okay, okay, he stopped being a little fucker when he raised an army of twelve hundred high-level characters and deployed them in battle array around his projected route of advance,” Richard admitted. “I have to admit I was wondering why he was taking so long to move away from that cave. I didn’t reckon that he was going to set the whole thing up like Sherman’s march to the sea.” > > “Did you notice his leapfrogging cavalry screens?” > > “Yes, I fucking noticed them.” [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/reamde/i-notice-youre.md) > He had found an image of one of the big Western-style business hotels along the waterfront: one of those places where it was possible to be a white person without attracting one’s own personal Stonehenge of cataleptic, openmouthed gapers. [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/reamde/he-had-found.md) > “Costello has been after Jones for a long time,” Olivia guessed. “He takes pride in his work, or used to. Jones got the better of him more than once…” > > “He is just your type,” Uncle Meng said gently. “Please do try not to fuck him.” > > “How come it’s okay for James Bond?” [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/reamde/costello-has-been.md) > None of Seamus’ crew gave her more than a glance and a nod. They were intensely focused on their laptops: some sort of pitched battle. > > “Fuckers are trying to flank us on the left!” > > “Disengaging from the Witch King and pivoting to get your back.” > > …Fierce clicking and typing, punctuated by roaring, anguished laughter, as (Olivia guessed) each man’s character died in the game world. > > Planted around the dining area were plastic dolls: troll- or elf-like fantasy characters…Marked on the underside of each was the logo of Corporation 9592. > > So that answered the question she’d been afraid to ask, for fear of seeming like the stupidest person in the whole world: Are you playing T’Rain? [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/reamde/none-of-seamus.md) > Since her immigration status had become impossible to make sense of, Olivia was met, at the top of the jetway, by a man in a uniform and a man in a suit. She had always read of people being “whisked through” certain formalities, but this was the first time she had ever been personally whisked and she had to admit that it had its charms. Particularly when you were hungover and bleeding. [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/reamde/since-her-immigration.md) > Uncle Richard, > > …This is my first damsel-in-distress letter, so I hope I am striking the right tone… [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/reamde/uncle-richard-this.md) > This was part of Corporation 9592’s strategy; they had hired psychologists, invested millions in a project to sabotage movies—yes, the entire medium of cinema—to get their customers/players/addicts into a state of mind where they simply could not focus on a two-hour-long chunk of filmed entertainment without alarm bells going off in their medullas telling them that they needed to log on to T’Rain and see what they were missing. [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/reamde/this-was-part.md) > One way to be strong was to be knowledgeable. In so many areas, it was not possible to be knowledgeable without getting a Ph.D. and doing a postdoc. Guns and hunting provided an out for men who wanted to be know-it-alls but who couldn’t afford to spend the first three decades of their lives getting up to speed on quantum mechanics or oncology. [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/reamde/one-way-to-be-strong.md) > Waging war on his enemies had been Sokolov’s habit and his profession for a long time, but being chivalrous to everyone else was simply a basic tenet of having your shit together as a human and as a man. [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/neal-stephenson/reamde/waging-war-on-his.md)