Decker Quotes

At the bottom of her heart, however, she was waiting for something to happen. Like shipwrecked sailors, she turned despairing eyes upon the solitude of her life, seeking afar off some white sail in the mists of the horizon. She did not know what this chance would be, what wind would bring it her, towards what shore it would drive her, if it would be a shallop or a three-decker, laden with anguish or full of bliss to the portholes. But each morning, as she awoke, she hoped it would come that day; she listened to every sound, sprang up with a start, wondered that it did not come; then at sunset, always more saddened, she longed for the morrow.

Decker smiled and shrugged off their laughter. The humour was only barbed if you sat on the outside, and now he was one of them.

The money we spend to help you is really to help ourselves. We invest in you because you will do great things, and we want to be part of it.

In my country, we value achievement. People are free to decide what that means to them, and I’ve always considered helping others to be my way of accomplishing something important. I was hoping to serve others with my new job, but that’s history now, so I’m going to have to accomplish something big, or I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.

And when I’d settled down, I considered the possibility that I wasn’t yet ready to ask for the love of anyone because I had yet to learn how to truly love myself.  

My people believe in balance,” he said. “We believe that all living things—plants, animals, people—have an intelligent spirit, and that they all make important contributions to the balance of the world.

My people are taught from a young age to try to remember their dreams, to learn from them, and to aspire to achieve their dreams in the physical world.

Emily was beginning to realize that the word hope had a different meaning than the word dream.

If a double decker bus Crashes into us To die by your side Oh the pleasure, the prvilige is mine

These creatures are not humanoid. They call themselves, the Fury, and the name is well deserved; they are a violent race. .

I’d heard the expression about living in glass houses, but I never expected to actually be doing that.

With the exception of Liam Murphy, the transition to 2254 was going well.

They came for me the next morning.

We’re both as tall as most men here in 1801, so we can make it work.

Assemble the links
Piece by piece.
Then travel through time And earn your release.

We know about the wildlife for God’s sake!” screamed Aideen. “We’re being attacked by a feckin’ pack of chimpanzees right now! Get us out of here!

You must realize, Dani, that you cannot go back to your time, no matter if we save your friends or not.

Teacher,” I said. “Can you feel love?

The sound of a thousand whispering ghosts surrounded her.

Everyone on Earth knows there’s no love as strong as a mother’s love. 

The calming presence of the forest merged with the beating hearts of the human beings, each of whom was emanating the same peaceful energy that Emily was feeling. This is magical, she thought. I could live my life doing this. And then the moment passed.

Time travel was invented by the Community of Minds in 2183. I was a thirty-four-year-old billionaire and had fallen in love with one of my assistants a few years prior.  

They enjoyed ham and butter sandwiches for lunch and washed them down with carbonated iced tea.

I wondered what the Teacher would do if I refused, but I had no reason to. I found him to be a fascinating ... being, and I enjoyed his company.

Of course, Emily, of course. I know. But here in Holland, we live first, work second. We truly appreciate life and make it our highest priority to enjoy it.

Anthropology is the science of human beings,” she said.

Hello Charles, came the voice. I am the Watcher from the Sky.  

Because the beings from that planet are now circling Earth in a ship the size of a small moon, threatening to destroy all human life if we don’t cooperate.

I don’t think so, said the captain. Their ship is clearly outfitted with weapons systems that it did not have when it left Terrene over 600 years ago. And they are pointed directly at us.

And believe it or not, we did end up going to the bottom of the ocean, just not for the reasons I had wanted to go there in the first place.

Dani didn’t recognize the song, but the unmistakable sound of the band that no one had sounded like before or since was in the air.

Something must have gone awry with the programming. I have no idea where or when we are.

I longed to have my mama come to me and sing me a song that settled me down while she rubbed my back, quieting my restless mind and pouting heart and helping me fall asleep, knowing I was loved.

He’s a bad man, Mama, came the thought, somehow manifesting itself into the voice of my little Maddie.  

I sincerely want to use her knowledge to help me with my dissertation.

One thing I know for certain is that I want to go back in time and save all the people I killed.

she seemed comforted by the fact that their ordeal might be coming to an end,

And I assure you, I am perfectly sane now. Stable as a workhorse in old Ireland, my friends, with only one goal in life. To do good. Always good.  

We do not sleep,” said Aya. “These bodies do not require it. All they need is food to provide them with energy. Sleep is not needed.

Later, I would understand more fully how deep and enduring the love of a mother for her child can be, but at that time, I just knew she felt something coming, something dangerous.

Now I’m not blaming anything on her—I take full responsibility for my own actions— but it was Annette’s betrayal that began my slow spin downward to insanity.  

Have you been having the dreams?” asked Dani.

Trust me Dani. You don’t want’a miss this. I’m not exaggeratin’ when I say the journey of a lifetime, of a hundred lifetimes, is just below us!

I’m sorry to tell you that another Dani was found wandering around the time station in our building, confused and disoriented.

No,” said the doctor. “It’s something I’ve never seen before. Something I don’t think anyone has seen before.”  

For now, I had escaped. I was free. And I wanted to know what freedom really felt like, at least for a while.

Well, thank you, Charles. Can I have another one of those for Aideen?

Ancient Chinese believe that when you dream, your soul leaves your body and travels to dream world. In dream world, there is no time. No past, no present, no future. When you remember dreams, it is very important to interpret those dreams because dreams you remember are very important to your future.

I’ll test the station the day after tomorrow. If it’s good, we’ll make the jump the day after that. So three days. I need three days.

Never regret something that once made you smile.

I was dreadfully concerned that this creature meant to harm me, but then a thought entered my mind. I am the one who moved Annette, Charles. And now, I will take you on a journey of your own.   

O-I-M. It stands for Organic Intelligent Material.” “Does that mean it’s alive?” “It is definitely alive. And because we infuse it with AI, it’s an intelligent living being. And we treat it as such.

Around two or three times a year, we would notice the wind blowing harder than usual, which meant a giant wave was coming.

The structure was like an aquarium filled with air instead of water, and Dani and Zephyr were the “fish” inside, there for the enjoyment of the Water People, or for whatever other purpose their captors had in mind.

I know he says it’s a mind upload problem,” said Aideen. “But we won’t know that for sure until we get there. And maybe not even then if he restricts our access to the outside world of 2253.

I must admit that if there was ever going to be a woman to take my mind and heart off of Annette, it would have been Aideen.

We theorize that if these disruptions continue to happen, eventually the separate realities will begin to compete with our primary reality for dominance, and there will end up being no safe reality to live in.

Was the man a ghost, a figment of my imagination, or something else? I didn’t know, but it was a memory I’d carry with me my entire life, and eventually, I figured out that the man I saw on top of Scafell Pike that day was….

The world was becoming a very puzzling place for me. I didn’t understand why bad people were allowed to tell good people what to do. What kind of world would allow that to happen?  

Emily kept telling herself this was inevitable, that it was why she’d come to Ireland: to see what her dreams led to. But seeing the man caused goosebumps to rise up on her skin, as if she were seeing a ghost. Her extremities began to tingle, and she felt the blood draining from her face.

Then you can blame it on your parents,' I said, smiling. 'Won't that be a relief?

The evening came to a close and the two women walked hand-in-hand back to the hut, the waves breaking gently on the beach, the stars out up above, a buzz in their heads from the wine and beer. As close to paradise as I could ever imagine, thought Dani.

I convinced myself I was fully justified in destroying the world by destroying the Mind Upload Community before it got started, and when that seemed impossible, I conceived the idea of infecting the world’s OIM and going to this Utopia Annette was building in 2585.

Dani regained consciousness, holding 12-year-old Orla’s hand, in the year 1751. Charles was holding the girl’s wrist, but let go immediately. Dani held on. They were standing in a square in the middle of a crowd of several hundred people, in front of a gallows.

Some people misinterpret aesthetic appreciation, romantic attraction, or sexual arousal as being sexual attraction, only to realize later that they are asexual.

If you hope for something, truly yearn for it from deep inside yourself, you have to try everything you can to make it come true. That’s the key to life, my young friend. You won’t always succeed, but knowing you’ve tried your best will carry you through. And sometimes, when you do succeed in making your hopes real, it allows all the beauty of being here on this earth to fill you up with joy.

The first companies to sell the service of uploading human minds begin operation in 2098. Initial demand is driven by wealthy, elderly individuals. But as economies of scale evolve, the price of uploads comes down dramatically, and it ultimately reaches a point where the masses can afford a mind upload.

When the light reached its zenith, the group of 1,000 Travelers down below could no longer be seen. Suddenly, the intense light ceased to be, returning the lighting of the stadium to a normal level. Dani felt a moment of disorientation, but she soon recovered and looked down at an empty stadium.

But most of all, she thought of John. She pictured him in Dingle, sitting out on the veranda of his wonderful little house, gazing with his peacefully intense, ocean blue eyes out toward the sea. She wondered if he was alone, and suspected he was, and she also reflected that he was probably quite sad, just as she was at that very moment.

She’d always loved the mountains, but as she turned back to face the spectacular seascape in the distance, she nearly lost her breath at the diversity of beauty to be found on this ancient, tiny island. She remembered a thought she’d had, just briefly, during her first day ever walking in Ireland, when they were going down through the forest on the way from Glenmalure to Glendalough. I could live my life doing this, she’d thought. And she’d done that, for a while.

What are you doing here " "Hiding with you

I believe the saying “Time heals all wounds” is mostly accurate, although it doesn’t address the nature of the healing. Inevitably, some wounds leave deep scar

Please explain to me why the people here on World 2B can hate one another when it comes to differences in religion, yet put religion aside when pursuing other matters of self-interest.

When Dani was about 1,000 feet above the ground, her direction changed from vertical to horizontal. She sped east at high speed. She estimated her speed to be many hundreds of kilometers per hour. As she thought about it, if she was going to make this trip in one hour, her speed would have to be about the speed of a jet airline. Yet she felt no wind, nor cold, whatsoever.

Assemble the links Piece by piece. Then travel through time And earn your release.

I wouldn’t wish my life on anyone!” screamed Edward. “It was a life of heartache, disappointment, wishing what could have been, never knowing the love of another human being.

With my home secured as much as I could make it, I went to buy a gun. 

The woman waved her long fingers in front of my face as if casting a spell, weaving her hands around one another while her fingers writhed like snakes

This was simply the beginning of a long nightmare. I wondered how I’d get through the night. Frankly, I was concerned about making it through the next five minutes. 

I felt the rough fingers of Papa’s hands brushing away my tears. “Enough tears, Mija. Enough tears.

What about a man in your life?” he asked, surprising me. “It’s time for you to consider that possibility, don’t you think?

The clerk read the verdict. “On count one, murder in the first degree: guilty.

Will the defendant please rise for the reading of the verdict?” My heart was beating fast. Here we go again, I thought, drawing in a deep breath and holding it.

That can’t be right, I thought as my head dropped and my chin pressed against my throat. I didn’t do it!

Mrs. Moreland, I am now remanding you into the custody of the Maricopa County Sheriff ’s Office while you await your sentence. All bond is revoked. We are adjourned.

As they reached the concert grounds in front of the Great Pyramid, Dani was captivated by the magic of the entire scene. A full moon was rising, casting a gentle shine over the entire area. Spotlights shone on Cheops, the Sphinx, Khafre, and Menkaure, and a vast swarm of hundreds of bats swooped above the stage, devouring mosquitoes as if they were protecting the legendary band from harm at this site of ancient power.

Dani felt Annette’s hand reaching for hers, and she took it, glancing over at the woman. She saw tears streaming from Annette’s eyes, and she realized that this heroic servant of the human race did not want to send these people away to the future. But it was her duty, above all others, to protect humanity. To do everything in her power to insure that our species continued on.

From here, we can see the line of time stretching in opposite directions for eternity. You see, Edward, there is no beginning and no end of time. The past, present, and future are all happening at once.

part of the art of teaching is the ability to rearrange the world for students - to force them to see things in a new way. i've known too many stupid intellectuals to believe that education and wisdom come as a package deal along with facts, it's your perspective that counts - your ability to see differently, not just to see a lot.

Dani," Decker said firmly. "Trust me, this is not a dream." "Why is it you men always say trust me before spitting out something completely unpalatable?" she asked, irritation flickering through her. "Vampires aren't supposed to be real. And how come you had to be a cute vampire? You should be a dog. All evil, vile people should look as ugly as they are inside." "We aren't ev--" Decker halted his denial, and then did something she hadn't yet seen him do and lifted his lips in a very rare-and in her opinion, totally inappropriate-grin as he asked, "You think I'm cute?

Alot can happen in eleven minutes. Decker can run two miles in eleven minutes. I once wrote an English essay in ten. And God knows Carson Levine can talk a girl out of her clothes in less then half that time. Eleven minutes might as well be eternity underwater. It only takes three minutes without air for loss consciousness. Permanent brain damange begins at four minutes. And then, when the oxygen runs out, full cardiac arrest occurs. Death is possible at five minutes. Probable at seven. Definite at ten. Decker pulled me out at eleven.

After lunch, they went for a walk around the island. The sun was out, but the wind was brisk, bringing a chill into their hands and faces. They arrived at the viewing point on the northwest corner of the island. The waves from the Atlantic crashed relentlessly against the rocks. They took a seat together on a large, smooth stone and gazed out at the sea and the barrier islands. Orla sat between Aideen and Dani. They all held hands. For a while, no words were spoken, but then Orla broke the silence. “What do ya’ think will happen to us in 2253?” she asked.

Even the youngest must have known they were now steaming away from the country of their birth, never to return. They’d all suffered through the trauma of the war and the loss of their parents and were presently being further traumatized by their banishment to Australia.

Edward had used work and accomplishments throughout his life to keep the misery at bay. He’d endured so much heartache in the first eighteen years of life that he’d chosen to run from any further possibility of that happening again. Work was the way he accomplished that.

The car was waiting for him, and in twenty minutes, he passed under the Broken Heart sign that used to read Tender Oak. Edward found it ironic that it was March. The harvest would begin soon. He’d first arrived at this place seventy-five years ago at the age of ten, in March, just before the harvest.

Craziness is only a matter of degree, and there are lots of people besides me who have the urge to roll heads. They go to stock-car races and the horror movies and the wrestling matches they have in Portland Expo. Maybe what she said smacked of all those things, but I admired her for saying out loud, all the same--the price of honesty is always high. She had an admirable grasp of the fundamentals. Besides, she was tiny and pretty.

Edward reached out with his arms and embraced her, his heart filled with a mix of sadness and hope. He desperately wanted to believe her promise and hold on to her vow that they would be reunited soon. Still, young Edward’s life had been so full of disappointment that it was hard for him to believe his unfortunate circumstances might soon be ending. He clung to her, wishing she would never let him go.

It's kind of like this," Decker said: "You wake up in the middle of the night and you're dying for a glass of milk. So you stumble out of bed, stub your toe in the darkness, scream with pain, and limp your way to the refrigerator. You open it up and the light is brilliant. You're saved. Then you fold back the paper container, open up the milk, take a deep breath, and put it to your lips. Only --- yhrch! --- the milk is spoiled. Sure, you're bummed. You fold the thing close and put it back in the fridge. It's dark again. But as you're making your way to your lonely old bed, you think to yourself, Wait a minute, maybe that milk wasn't so bad. And I am still thirsty? So you do an about-face and go back to the fridge. The light warms you up again. You take a sip and yup, it's still spoiled. That, to me, is the fitting metaphor for most every relationship I've ever been in.

Edward unlocked a drawer of his desk where he kept valuables, opened it, and withdrew the Buck knife Amelia had given him a few days after he’d turned eighteen, about a month before they were to be married. He stared straight ahead, feeling its weight in his hand. He looked down at the knife, opened it, and scraped his finger lightly across the blade. Still sharp. He had used it for only a month, but after Amelia left him at the altar, he stored it away, rarely touching it. Today, however, he wanted to remember the pain.

Edward breathed in the sweet fragrance of the dogwood blossoms. The delicious air came into his lungs and passed into his blood, coursing through his veins with euphoric energy that he’d never experienced. He felt as strong as a hundred men as they passed out of the dogwood coppice and began the ascent up the hill. Their pace was leisurely. Edward could have run all the way to the top if he wanted, but no urge to do so imposed itself on him. For the first time in his life, Edward felt peace, down to the marrow of his bones.