The Old Man Quotes
"All dogs wanted to be good dogs, no matter how unpromising they seemed." - Dan Chase
"Even a person who loved dogs didn’t necessarily want to meet two hairy, black eighty-pound beasts running free before he’d been introduced to them." - Narration
"Every day the three walked four or five miles, and did their errands on the way." - Narration
"I like big dogs. They’re calmer and quieter. It’s scared dogs that bite." - Dan Chase
"You just had to help them find a way. And they were sunshine creatures." - Dan Chase
"He admitted to himself that what had ended the habit had been Anna’s death." - Narration
"Once a man has stolen something he is a thief. If what he stole is big enough, then always and forever, no matter what else he’s done, he will always be a thief." - Narration
"You’re the only relic I have left." - Emily to Dan Chase
"I decided to make you take me out for drinks because it was the simplest way to get us to this point, here and now."
"I’m a grown-up. Don’t you think you can assume I’ve been thinking about this all evening?"
"I’m not guilty of stealing the money, but I’m close enough to guilty for a legitimate conviction."
"I don’t want to talk about this. It makes me depressed, and we don’t know any more about the future than we did the last time."
"You always assume you’ll die first. Did you get a bad fortune cookie or something?"
"I’m sorry to see her go, of course. Ignore it."
"If you’ve got any I’m sure I’ll know their names before long."
"I’ll be anyone you want, and I’ll do anything you say, without question."
"Never doubt that you gave me a great life. You did. Now get out of here. And be really nice to Zoe, or whatever you’re calling her now. But protect yourself. All she has to do is pick up a phone, and it’s over."
"Every day that we’re living like this, getting stronger and healthier and more rested, they’re out there somewhere standing in the rain or the cold watching for us. Anything that makes their effort a waste of time is good for us."
"Because it never mattered whether he did or not. This isn’t about getting back the money from a thirty-five-year-old operation. Thirty-five years might as well be a million years. We’re in the business of furthering our country’s interests in the present."
"That was why," she said. "Why what?" "Why I couldn’t behave like a sensible adult and get out of your car the other day. I realized that what I really wanted was to live the rest of my life like this."
"The old man had been trained when a member of the special forces was an expert at moving unnoticed not only through jungles, but also through foreign cities. They all spoke several languages, could do some field surgery, and could operate any piece of hardware they saw."
"Mom has found love. For the first time since we were children, she’s happy. But powerful criminals have a grudge against him, so they have to go away for a while."
"And when I had time to see that you really did have to go on the run, I realized I had options. My kids are adults. Nobody depends on me anymore. I can do what I want. Was I going to throw my new life away so I could spend the next thirty years dusting that apartment in Chicago?"
"You pull the trigger and the trigger bar pushes the striker back against its spring. Right near the end of your pull, the cocking lever frees the striker and it pops forward, hits the primer, and the round in the chamber is fired."
"Everything on a farm came in cycles. By the time the crew got through weeding the whole farm, it would be time to start the first patch over again."
"Sometimes the sunshine bored through the clouds and burned off the mists, but there was no question that fall had taken possession of the mountains."
"It’s not even a decision at all. This mission will get done. We will succeed, because no mission ends until it’s a success."
"People get along or they don’t. If they don’t, then one day one of them sees the future all laid out ahead. And they realize that it’s almost exactly like the present. And they don’t want it to be."
"Having a second armed, healthy, and well-rehearsed person trying to escape when he did made his survival much more likely."
"I have a feeling you’re in Jonesboro, Arkansas. You’re supposed to let us know where you are at all times."
"No matter what else was going on, he had told Joseph he would be at the farm by dawn to help bring in the broccoli."
"The only clear photographs of him had been taken when he was Julian’s age. And every operator except Julian who had gotten a close look at the old man since Libya was dead."
"The heat source was not a human being. It was a pocket device that burns lighter fluid. It’s for staying warm in cold weather."
"That’s perfect. The son of a bitch figured we’d use infrared scopes to find him."
"All right. That’s it, gentlemen. Get on the sled. We’re going to head back."
"I can’t believe it. I thought we were lost in the wilderness."
"I wasn’t asking you," Derrick said. "I was asking him."
"I understand from Staff Sergeant Wright’s report that you were an asset to the team."
"We weren’t quite sure. We got turned around on a cross-country trail."
"So bro. I know this doesn’t bother you because you’re a good sport. Is your wife a good sport too?"
"A lot of guys your age have trouble, you know, performing."
"If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to leave."
"Look, we didn’t do anything. We were just joking."
"You found two strangers you thought were helpless, and decided to do us harm."
"You’re married to an older man. He can’t possibly keep you happy."
"I’ll be sure and tell all my friends about this place."
"Well, I was glad to help. And thanks. It’s nice to get a pat on the back from the boss."
"It’s an emergency. I’m supposed to drive to Tobruk and bring back one of the doctors."
"I’m sorry if I’m late. The distances here can be deceiving."
"I want to see the doctors at the Tobruk airport from a Canadian relief organization."
"I’m sad that my car was wrecked, but I’m very happy that I could walk away from it without dying or having a serious injury."
"I’ll buy gasoline, and if you’d like me to, I’ll drive your car so you can rest."
"Please drive on this way for another quarter mile and let me off."
"Thank you for your kindness and your patience. May Allah protect you."
"Hi, Doc. I thought I’d come by and pick up my dogs."