My Commonplace Book

“We look for meaning where there is none, because we’re too afraid to accept randomness.” – Greg Illes, Third Degree

“Fear is worse than death. Death is but the end of life, and I know it well. What I know, I can fight. What can be named, I can endure. But what lies in shadow, I can neither fight nor endure.” – Greg Iles, Blood Memory

“We judge and punish based on facts, but facts are not truth. Facts are like a buried skeleton uncovered long after death. Truth is fluid. Truth is alive. To know the truth requires understanding, the most difficult human art. It requires seeing all things at once, forward and backward, the way God sees.” – Greg Iles, Blood Memory

“What you see isn’t always the reality. We look at one thing but see another. Why? With a marble statue because of a change in perspective or trick of light. But with human beings, the reasons are more complex. People project only what they want others to see, or atleast they try to. And even when unintended clues to the being behind the mask are exposed, we often refuse to see them. Our perception of others is always distorted by our own prejudices, hopes, and fears. And sometimes, we look at others and see ourselves.” – Greg Iles, Turning Angel

“That’s what it comes down to in the end. You can do what you want to do, or you can do what’s right. And the two aren’t ever quite the same.” – Greg Iles, Turning Angel