“What kind of programmer is so divorced from reality that she thinks she'll get complex software right the first time?”

“That's the first rule of command; be consistent! You can be sadistic, you can be lazy, you can be stupid, but if you're consistent the crew will still let you sit in when they play dominoes.”

“Given time, a ship's crew will attach sexual innuendo to anything. It makes their jobs more exciting.”

“I like people thinking I'm an asshole. Being an asshole is my life's vocation; I'm a goddamned asshole professional.”

“You clutch your comfortable excuses, saying, Someday I'll be brave, it won't take a lot, just give me one more chance and this time I'll grab it. .”

“That must be the chief reason to become sergeant; so you can assign yourself to monitor the most beautiful security risk.”

“If you agree to work for us, half the time you won't know the purpose of your duties . . . and when we do explain, we might not be telling the truth. But that's the real world, folks . . .”