“Anger could be like that, moving from person to person like an illness or a plague. The way Wallace himself was cruel at dinner, lobbing that grenade at Vincent because of what had been said to him. Or the way that telling Miller about Alabama prompted Miller to tell him about Indiana, the two of them passing cruelty back and forth like a joint. Perhaps friendship is really nothing but controlled cruelty.””
“Not going to lie, I thought Asher would have been the last person to fall for Liam’s charm.” I raise a brow at him in question. “You thought Vincent before Asher?” He shrugs. “I could see Vincent enjoying causing Liam pain, and I think Liam would enjoy it too.” “Not a chance in fucking hell,” Vincent calls out easily, clearly not asleep. “You say that now, until you see how tight my asshole is,” Liam says sleepily. “Jesus, what a way to wake up,” Asher grouches.””
“If we think of the great contributions made to human society, they were all made by people that were free to do whatever they wanted, but used the freedom to create. Vincent Van Gogh wasn’t obligated to paint; he freely chose it. He struggled early in his life seeking work: “One of the reasons why I’m now without a position, why I’ve been without a position for years, it’s quite simply because I have different ideas from these gentlemen who give positions to individuals who think like them.” Imagine someone telling Steve Jobs that he had to design a new phone. Given that sense of obligation, he likely would have just made a slightly better Blackberry.””
“Sorry, we left our purse,” Vincent offers then winces at how he sounded. “She did. She left her purse.” He points at Talia.””
“In 1998, Anthony Williams was elected mayor of Washington, DC. Mr. Williams had attended Harvard and Yale, clearly wanted to run an efficient city government, and had considerable white support. Although he was black, Mr. Williams left many blacks wondering if he was “black enough.” A black writer for the Washington Post raised “the question of whether whites, assuming they care one way or the other, even understand the concept of ‘How black is a black person?’ ” He went on to say that Mayor Williams had fired incompetents, but that “the firings hurt black workers most of all, creating the impression”
“When it comes to Sebastian Vincent, I constantly feel like I’m on the verge of a heart attack.””
“My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends”
“What’s going on is I’m engaged to a stupid fucking whore!” Asher spits out, refusing to lower the gun. I hear the flick of the safety from Vincent’s gun before he speaks. “Say that again, Putnam. I dare you.””