The Rosie Project Quotes
"I may have found a solution to the Wife Problem."
"The preparation could be time-shared with lunch consumption, but on the designated evening I had scheduled ninety-four minutes to clean my bathroom."
"I presented the dilemma to Gene, who, as usual, had an alternative solution."
"As a professor of psychology, he is extremely interested in human sexual attraction, which he believes is largely genetically determined."
"The Apricot Ice Cream Disaster is a good example."
"Poor synchronization is a huge waste of time."
"But had it not been for a series of unscheduled events, it is unlikely I would have discovered it."
"This belief is consistent with Gene’s background as a geneticist."
"I explained the physiology of taste bud chilling in some detail."
"Fault! Asperger’s isn’t a fault. It’s a variant. It’s potentially a major advantage."
"All the rational solutions came from the aspies."
"Eventually, it was necessary for Daphne to join her husband at the nursing home, and as her memory failed, we celebrated her birthdays more often."
"What if a genetics laboratory hired a person whose qualification had been achieved through cheating, and that person made major errors?"
"I had resolved never to attend another singles party, but the questionnaire allowed me to avoid the agony of unstructured social interaction with strangers."
"I had previously deduced that Olivia was probably Indian from her sari and physical attributes."
"Most diseases have some basis in our DNA, though in many cases we have yet to discover it."
"Unfortunately, the process of finding them is impossibly inefficient."
"I was weighing student essays, an activity that is not forbidden, but I suspect only because nobody is aware that I am doing it."
"This was an excellent outcome, and an illustration of Gene’s ability to find solutions to social problems."
"I was prepared to keep my jacket on throughout the meal. The restaurant would presumably be air-conditioned to a temperature compatible with the requirement."
"My jacket is superior to yours by all reasonable criteria: impermeability to water, visibility in low light, storage capacity."
"Exercise is extremely important for maintaining health."
"I had visions of huge chunks of leek and fragments of herbs too fine to sieve out."
"I'm not proficient at dating. There are so many rules to remember."
"The cooking procedures are in my cerebellum—virtually no conscious effort is required."
"I had another unexpected moment of feeling good as I continued recalculating times."
"Rosie’s motivation seemed to be emotional, and while I could not understand the psychology, it was clearly very important to her happiness."
"Humans often fail to see what is close to them and obvious to others."
"Evolution is a theory supported by overwhelming evidence. Like the germ theory of disease, for example."
"I cannot comprehend why some people are more interested in the outcome of a football match or the weight of an actress."
"Being upset and complaining because your theory is disproven is unscientific."
"We are genetically programmed to react to stimuli in our immediate vicinity. Responding to complex issues that we cannot perceive directly requires the application of reasoning, which is less powerful than instinct."
"I am not good at nonverbal communication, but I believe I managed to convey the fact that while I might be a petty thief, I do not make errors of observation."
"The pursuit of fun does not lead to overall contentment. Studies have shown this consistently."
"You can’t go through life not listening to music."
"We will risk our lives to save a person from drowning, yet not make a donation that could save dozens of children from starvation."
"Why do we focus on certain things at the expense of others?"
"If everyone stole cups, the café would probably become financially nonviable."
"There is no experimental evidence of a correlation between synapse numbers and intelligence level within primate populations."
"Maybe, but I’m a pretty good judge. Give me a call if you change your mind. I’m in no hurry."
"No beer until all samples are tested," I said.
"You didn’t answer at home," said my mother. "I was worried."
"Seems irrational," I said, "wanting virgins. Surely a woman with sexual experience would be preferable to a novice."
"I’m extremely sorry if I’ve created an incorrect impression."
"Wife Project?" she said, as if she had never heard of it.
"Of course," I said. "But we should time-share it with pizza consumption and beer drinking."
"I can only hope that enough women realize their civic duty and take the test."
"I have an applicant who satisfies all requirements."
"I hope you’re not too pissed off at me about Rosie," he said.
"Just be yourself, Don. If she doesn’t want you for yourself, then she’s not the right person for you."
"You should have practiced with different beats. You’re not as smart as I thought you were."
"The problem was synchronization," I tried to tell her. "The metronome in my head is not set to the same frequency as the band."
"I haven’t really noticed," I told the most beautiful woman in the world.
"Never pass up a chance to have sex with a woman under thirty."
"I said that I hadn’t noticed her appearance. I didn’t want her to think I saw her as a sexual object."
"I may have made a social error. I broke one of Gene’s rules."
"These things happen," said Claudia, over the third coffee meeting in four weeks. "You get involved with a woman, it doesn’t work out…"
"It’s just that adding a second person makes it more complicated."
"What if you get leukemia and don’t know where to source a bone-marrow transplant? Your biological father would be an excellent candidate with a strong motivation to assist. Failure to complete the project could result in death."
"I am very good at dealing with emotions. I was prepared for rejection."
"Our friendship had been simple. Everything was so much more complicated now."
"Thank you for making the final years of my life so stimulating."
"I once told you that you would make someone a wonderful husband."
"I would be pleased if you would use it for something irrational."
"It was a radical decision, as I would normally have scheduled my driving time according to published studies on fatigue."
"Creativity is enhanced when performing straightforward mechanical tasks."
"Unobstructed thinking time is always useful."
"I’m not good at understanding what other people want."
"The testicles of drone bees and wasp spiders explode during sex."
"Be open to something different. Let me show you my world for a couple of days."
"It would have been totally irrational to argue."
"I thought that doing medicine would be a sign of some sort of obsession with my real father."
"All parents are an embarrassment to their kids."
"You’re the geneticist. Everyone notices how people look. Even you."
"If you really love someone, you have to be prepared to accept them as they are."
"Any benefits were outweighed by the risk of total disaster."
"All authorities and moral codes consider fidelity critical."
"The schedule of activities felt like the only stable thing in my life."
"The only logical conclusion is that I must be in love with you."
"His actions were consistent with the primitive drive to protect the carrier of his genes."
"I was subconsciously interested in a relationship with her even then."
"The entire father problem was caused by Gene."
"In the end, Don must confront his long-held notions of what it means to love and connect with people."
"Not that much! But it’s one of my favorite places in New York."
"I actually do jog to the local market, though not on as regular a schedule as Don."
"Absolutely. Don is the hero of the story in all senses."