Thomas Pynchon Quotes

The servant may not look to be in better case than his master.

'Game of Thrones' is fundamentally based on a Machiavellian, almost Jacobean, idea of power and intrigue.

Trump prides himself on being an intimidator.

What is 'power' anyway? Power is an ego trip. Power is a way to rise yourself up by lowering others, and I want nothing of it.

If you get to thinking you're a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else's dog around.

My impression is that Putin feels that he can basically manipulate the West to do what he ultimately wants to achieve, and that he feels he's gotten away with it so far, and that all he has to do is basically play the same game.

Blackmail is more effective than bribery.

I learned what a lot of women have to do is make the guys in the room think it was their idea, and then you back them up.

People with real power never fear of losing it. People with control think of little else.

Influence is just persuasion in slow motion.

Power is all. Another falsification; I do not tell how I gain or maintain it. I only record the ginger stroll through the vaguely fetid garden of its rewards.

He wanted her. He knew where to find her. He waited. It amused him to wait, because he knew that the waiting was unbearable to her. He knew that his absence bound her to him in a manner more complete and humiliating than his presence could enforce. He was giving her time to attempt an escape, in order to let her know her own helplessness when he chose to see her again.

Sometimes if you let people do things to you, you're really doing it to them.

I'll make him an offer he can't refuse.

All leaders strive to turn their followers into children.

I don’t like being threatened, lied to, or manipulated. You’d do well to remember that. (Simone) Or what? You’re going to snivel at me? (Xypher)

A little tip for you, Winged Wonder. Don't threaten the woman you want to seduce." See Annabelle take control. He reached out, gently brushed his fingertip along her collarbone. "If it means saving your life, I'll do more than threaten you. I'll follow through. Best you realize that now, rather than cry foul later.

Of course. Opal is toying with our emotions for her own gratification. Nothing more. She wishes to place herself in a position of power, emotionally.

Colin Powell's committed to come into the house of the master. When Colin Powell dares to suggest something other than what the master wants to hear, he will be turned back out to pasture.

I'm tempting you with fine gifts until your girlish ideals are quite worn away and you are at my mercy.

The chief use of servants is the evidence they afford of the master's ability to pay.

Like it or not - and often we don't - power is a pervasive phenomenon. From midnight decisions in the Oval Office that risk the lives of young Americans to quarrels over the kitchen table, power is part of every human equation. Yes, it can be - and often is - abused, in business as in all arenas of endeavor. But it can also be used to do great good for great numbers. And as a career-building tool, the slow and steady (and subtle) amassing of power is the surest road to success.

You lose in the end unless you know how the wheel is fixed or can fix it yourself.

To make someone wait: the constant prerogative of all power.

You look at what Vladimir Putin is doing with President Obama. He's, like, toying with him. He's toying with him.