“Diving in is no fun, but it's a hell of a lot better than drowning.”

“Better stand her ground than back down and apologize, she thought. If I apologize, he'll feel justified in being pissed off, and then he'll be even more difficult than usual.”

“It would require careful planning and execution, but Marina always accomplished everything to which she put her mind. She made a lot of spreadsheets.”

“And what should he have known? Well, who could answer that? Thought he was closer to all the players than anyone, he still couldn't identify who was responsible and who wasn't. Really responsible, not just "look the other way" responsible. They all were, in some larger sense. And yet, while he knew this was a wholly indefensible position, he felt that somehow none of them were, either. Just like the guys at Lehmen, or Bear Stearns, or AIG. Just like the guys at Delphic. It became a game, a contest; the only rules that governed were what made you money and what didn't. All Paul did was hang the hell on and try not to get thrown.”

“Lack of control, he once told her, was worse than anything in the world.”

“How inexplicable and enviable, never to want to be anywhere other than where you already are.”

“The constant mental fight made him irritable. He had never had a temper before. Some days, he felt as if his entire body were a raw nerve, its membrane receptive even to the smallest passing slight.”