Hope was a dangerous emotion that more often than not led men into foolishness and peril, made them risk their lives and lose their wives and part with fortunes that they never recovered.

Names have power. In certain cultures, just speaking a man's name gives you mastery over him.

Real life ... it was an ambiguous world, where actions sometimes had no meaning, where chaos reigned and no one was allowed to see the big picture, only their small portion of it.

Hell, he thought, was not a cave filled with fire and brimstone--it was an insurance office.