“We live in a primitive time—don’t we, Will?—neither savage nor wise. Half measures are the curse of it. Any rational society would either kill me or give me my books.”

“Problem-solving is hunting; it is savage pleasure and we are born to it.”

“What does he do, Clarice? What is the first and principal thing he does, what need does he serve by killing? He covets. How do we begin to covet? We begin by coveting what we see every day.”

“We can only learn so much and live.”

“Over this odd world, this half the world that's dark now, I have to hunt a thing that lives on tears.”

“We routinely leave our small children in day care among strangers. At the same time, in our guilt we evince paranoia about strangers and foster fear in children.”

“And then, the last words Raspail ever said: 'I wonder why my parents didn't kill me before I was old enough to fool them.'The slender handle of the stiletto wiggled as Raspail's spiked heart tried to keep beating, and Dr Lecter said, 'Looks like a straw down a doodlebug hole, doesn't it?' but it was too late for Raspail to answer.”