“The silence lasted precisely five seconds, during which time eyes roamed other eyes, several throats were cleared, and no one moved in his chair. It was as if a decision were being reached without discussion: evasion was to be avoided. Congressman Efrem Walters, out of the hills of Tennessee by way of the Yale Law Review, was not to be dismissed with facile circumlocution that dealt with the esoterica of clandestine manipulations. Bullshit was out.”

“The end did not justify the means, but justifiable means that brought about a fair and necessary conclusion were not to be dismissed.”

“It was important to keep moving. Certain struggles continued. Others had to be brought to a close. The wisdom was in deciding which.”

“Hate and love are essentially the same in that the person who loves is as easily manipulated as a person who hates”

“I loathe him. He stands for everything I hate in Washington. The right schools, houses in Georgetown, farms in Virginia, quiet meetings at their clubs. They've got their tight little world and you don't break in--they run it all. The bastards. The superior, self-inflated gentry of Washington. They use other men's intellects, other men's work, wrapping it all into decisions bearing their imprimaturs. And if you're on the outside, you become part of that amorphous entity, a 'damn fine staff.' (Alfred Gillette)”

“I mean, we're all trying to find out who the hell we are, aren't we?”

“You know, Mr. Webb, you have two commands you use with irritating frequency. 'Move' and 'Let's go.”