Quotes
She had learned, in the slums of her childhood, that honest people were never touchy about the matter of being trusted.
p. 876
"I don't like people who speak or think in terms of gaining anybody's confidence. If one's actions are honest, one does not need the predated confidence of others, only their rational perception. The person who craves a moral blank check of that kind, has dishonest intentions, whether he admits it to himself or not."
p. 146
You've got to stay sharp, on your toes, alert. Always look over your shoulder. Always protect yourself. Don't let your guard down for even a second. There are people who will take advantage of you the moment they see you're not in control. The world's filled with people like that. Nearly everyone you meet is like that. We're animals in a jungle, and we've got to be prepared to fight if we want to survive. You can't trust hardly anyone, hardly anyone at all. Even people who are supposed to like you can turn on you faster than you think. Even friends. People who say they love you are the worst, the most dangerous, the most untrustworthy of all. People who say they love you will pounce when they get the chance. You gotta always remember that they're just waiting for the opportunity to get you. Love's a trick. A cover. A way to catch you off guard. Never let down your guard. Never.
p. 53
A person who is never duped cannot be a friend.
We must try, as much as possible, not to mistrust anyone.
Security people always spy on their bosses; they can’t help it, it’s a syndrome that goes with the job.
p. 16
I had taken a partner once before—but, damnation, no matter how many times you get your fingers burned, you have to trust people. Otherwise you are a hermit in a cave, sleeping with one eye open.
A banker need not be popular; indeed a good banker in a healthy capitalist society should probably be much disliked. People do not wish to trust their money to a hail-fellow-well-met but to a misanthrope who can say no.
p. 115
He trusted neither of them as far as he could spit, and he was a poor spitter, lacking both distance and control.
Ignorance induces suspicion.
p. 233
Evidently you do not trust me. This does not predispose me to trust you.
p. 359
It'd be a funny old world, he reflected, if demons went round trusting one another.
p. 18



















