Quotes from Elizabeth Peters... continued

I will tell you a little secret about archaeologists, dear Reader.  They all pretend to be very high-minded.  They claim that their sole aim in excavation is to uncover the mysteries of the past and add to the store of human knowledge.  They lie.  What they really want is a spectacular discovery, so they can get their names in the newspapers and inspire envy and hatred in the hearts of their rivals.  A.P.E.  The Deeds of the Disturber

It is no wonder the world is in such wretched shape, with men running its affairs.  A.P.E. Ibid.

Though I had slept only a few hours, I felt quite fresh and full of ambition.  Righteous indignation has that effect on my character.  A.P.E.  Ibid.

Poets are always running on about the benefits of sleep,...  I myself have always regarded it as a frightful waste of time.  There are so many other interesting things to do, it seems a pity to waste one third of the day in a state of unconsciousness.  A.P.E.  Ibid.

Emerson likes to think that he is the master of his fate and the lord of all he surveys.  It is a delusion common to the male sex and accounts for the sputtering fury with which they respond to the slightest interference with their plans, no matter how impractical those plans may be.  Being ruled by men, most women are accustomed to irrational behavior on the part of those who control their destinies.  A.P.E.  The Last Camel Died At Noon

One must recognize the limitations of the military mind, as I later pointed out to Emerson.  After a certain age -- somewhere in the early twenties, I believe -- it is virtually impossible to insert any new idea whatever into it.  A.P.E.  Ibid.

Most small boys are barbarians.  It is a wonder any of them live to grow up.  A.P.E.  Ibid.

No man, of any race or nationality, has the least notion of cleanliness.  A.P.E.  Ibid.

(I have never been able to understand how men can feel affection for individuals who are intent on massacring them in a variety of unpleasant ways, but it is an undeniable fact that they can and do....  One can only accept this as another example of the peculiar emotional aberrations of the male sex.)  A.P.E.  Ibid.

Like all men, Emerson grows very impatient over the necessary deliberations of shopping.  If it were left to him, he would  simply point to the first object of its kind he saw and order a dozen.  A.P.E.  Ibid.

I would not be at all surprised to find that it was for gold that Cain committed the first murder.  (It happened a very long time ago, and Holy Writ, though no doubt divinely inspired, is a trifle careless about details.  God is not a historian.)  A.P.E.  Ibid.

Men are frightful nuisances at times; how much simpler life would be if we women did not have to make allowances for their little peculiarities.  A.P.E., The Snake, The Crocodile And The Dog

It is much more sensible to be an optimist instead of a pessimist, for if one is doomed to disappointment, why experience it in advance?  A.P.E.  Ibid.

High-minded individuals are much more dangerous than criminals," Emerson growled.  "They can always find hypocritical excuses for committing acts of violence."  The Hippopotamus Pool

(It is a well-known fact that familiar sounds are not easy to identify in unfamiliar surroundings.)  A.P.E., Ibid.

It is difficult to be angry with a gentleman who pays you compliments, even impertinent compliments.  Especially impertinent compliments.  A.P.E., Ibid.

Lunacy is a convenient explanation for otherwise inexplicable behavior,...  R.E., Seeing A Large Cat

That is so like a man!  They assume that they need only express a desire to have it immediately fulfilled.  A.P.E., The Ape Who Guards the Balance.

I decided it was time for me to take charge of the discussion, which had degenerated into a series of emotional exchanges.  This is often the case when men carry on a conversation.  A..P..E., Ibid.

Principles do not hold up well when they are challenged by personal affection.  A.P.E, The Golden One

Trust is a beautiful thing, but when someone has done you an injury, you are a fool if you give him the chance to do you another.  A.P.E, Ibid.

...a certain amount of hypocrisy is necessary in maintaining the social amenities.  If everyone said exactly what he or she thought of everyone else, there would be no social amenities.  A.P.E, Ibid.

For more information on this author and her books, click the falcon.