162 Quotes by Don Winslow

I have sat with the mothers who have lost addicted sons. I have sat with families of kids who have been killed in drug-related gang violence. I have been to the prisons. I have seen the effects. At some point in time, I felt I had to do something other than write a novel about it, that I needed to try to make some sort of contribution, at least try to make some sort of difference in the real world.

How much more money do we have to waste, how many more families have to be destroyed, how many more people have to be killed before you summon the courage to tell the truth to the American people?

I think you can use fiction to get inside people's minds.

And the most dangerous place on earth— Is where you’re safe.

Smart people sometimes get stupid, but stupid people never get smart.

You need the money, the cash flow, but it’s more than that, admit it. You love the game. The thrill, the taking off the bad guys, even the danger, the idea that you might get caught.

Mateo runs up and Pablo hugs him. It’s amazing, he thinks, that he never gets tired of that sensation.

When you ask people, “What’s America’s longest war?” they usually answer “Vietnam” or amend that to “Afghanistan,” but it’s neither. America’s longest war is the war on drugs.

Pablo Mora has one of those hangovers where you see yourself in the mirror and think you look familiar.