“Stalin gothic was not so much an architectural style as a form of worship. Elements of Greek, French, Chinese and Italian masterpieces had been thrown into the barbarian wagon and carted to Moscow and the Master Builder Himself, who had piled them one on the other into the cement towers and blazing torches of His rule, monstrous skyscrapers of ominous windows, mysterious crenellations and dizzying towers that led to the clouds, and yet still more rising spires surmounted by ruby stars that at night glowed like His eyes. After His death, His creations were more embarrassment than menace, too big for burial with Him, so they stood, one to each part of town, great brooding, semi-Oriental temples, not exorcised but used.”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
“Proust said that you could seduce any woman if you were willing to sit and listen to her complain until four in the morning.”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
“Well, love was no fading violet; love was a weed that flourished in the dark. Has anyone ever explained it?”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
“There are not many road signs in Russia, you know. He laughed. If you don't know where the road goes, you shouldn't be on it.”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
“There are two kinds of vodka, good and very good.’ Who”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
“These enemies of society are to be driven out of New York regardless of their constitutional rights.’ The”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
“In an unjust society a man may violate laws for valid social or economic reasons. In a just society there are no valid reasons except mental illness.”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
“All nights should be so dark, all winters so warm, all headlights so dazzling. The”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
“That’s why I tell the children not to chew gum. First it’s gum, then rock music, then marijuana and . . .”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
“he never knows what he’s saying. He says everything, so he has to be right some of the time.”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
“By definition prostitutes did not exist, because prostitution has been eliminated by the Revolution. Charges could be brought against them for spreading venereal disease, performing depraved acts or leading a nonproductive life, but by law there were no whores.”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
“The decree against parasitism was originally formulated for Gypsies, then broad-mindedly expanded to include dissidents and all sorts of profiteers,”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
“The chief investigator for Special Cases was a composite of the most ordinary features, a stencil of a man.”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
“Two days ago, I was lunching at the Writers Union with the eminent historian Tomashevski. That's the sort of man you should know. Respected, charming, hasn't produced a piece of work in ten years. He has a system, which he explained to me. First, he submits an outline for a biography to the Academy to be absolutely sure his approach is consistent with Party policy. A crucial first step, as you'll see later. Now, the person he studies is always an important figure - that is, someone from Moscow - hence Tomashevski must do his Russian research close to home for two years. But this historical character also traveled, yes, lived for some years in Paris or London; hence Tomashevski must do the same, apply for and receive permission for foreign residence. Four years have passed. The Academy and the Party are rubbing their hands in anticipation of this seminal study of the important figure by the eminent Tomashevski. And now Tomashevski must retire to the solitude of a dacha outside Moscow to tend his garden and creatively brood over his cartons of research. Two more years pass in seminal thought. And just as Tomashevski is about to commit himself to paper, he checks with the Academy again only to learn that Party policy has totally about-faced; his hero is a traitor, and with regrets all around, Tomashevski must sacrifice his years of labor for the greater good. Naturally, they are only too happy to urge Tomashevski to start a new project, to plow under his grief with fresh labor. Tomashevski is now studying a very important historical figure who lived for some time in the South of France. He says there is always a bright future for Soviet historians, and I believe him.”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
“Interrogation is largely a process of rebirth done in the clumsiest fashion possible, a system in which the midwife attempts to deliver the same baby a dozen times in a dozen different ways.”
― Martin Cruz Smith, quote from Gorky Park
Martin Cruz Smith
Born place: in Reading, Pennsylvania, The United States
Born date November 3, 1942
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“While it is better to be loved than hated, it is also far better to be hated than ignored.”
― Viet Thanh Nguyen, quote from The Sympathizer
“I love you best, and I'll miss you forever.”
― C.J. Redwine, quote from The Shadow Queen
“Tides and the 2,000-Mile Man What causes the seas to rise and fall as if they were breathing two big breaths every day? It’s the Moon, of course, but how does it do it, and why twice a day? I will explain, but first let me tell you about the fall of the 2,000-Mile Man. Imagine the 2,000-Mile Man—a giant who measures 2,000 miles from the tip of his head to the bottoms of his feet—as he falls, feet-first, from outer space toward the Earth. Far out in outer space, gravity is weak—so weak that he feels nothing. But as he gets closer to the Earth, strange sensations arise in his long body—sensations not of falling but of being stretched. The problem is not the giant’s overall acceleration toward the Earth. The cause of his discomfort is that gravity is not uniform throughout space. Far from the Earth, it is almost entirely absent. But as he draws closer, the pull of gravity increases. For the 2,000-Mile Man, this presents difficulties even while he is in free fall. The poor man is so tall that the pull on his feet is much stronger than the pull on his head. The net effect is an uncomfortable feeling that his head and feet are being pulled in opposite directions. Perhaps he can avoid being stretched by falling in a horizontal position, legs and head at the”
― Leonard Susskind, quote from The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics
“Pan, who and what art thou?" he cried huskily.
"I'm youth, I'm joy," Peter answered at a venture, "I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg.”
― J.M. Barrie, quote from Peter Pan (Illustrated with Interactive Elements)
“After a lifetime of darkness, I want to leave something behind that is made of light.”
― Marie Lu, quote from The Midnight Star
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The Double
The Closing of the A...
Away
Chasing Fire
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