“Thin veneers can cover a mountain of problems around here when nobody's looking at the details.”
“the veneer of civilization is exceedingly thin”
“The veneer of civilization is like that on the kitchen counter - very thin.”
“War strips away the thin veneer applied slap-dash by the institutions of society and shows Man for exactly what he is.”
“When nobody will look at you, you can stare a hole in them. Picking out all the little details you'd never stare long enough to get if they'd even just return your gaze, this, this is your revenge.”
“Civilization is but a thin veneer stretched across the passions of the human heart. And civilization doesn't just happen; we have to make it happen.”