The Devil All the Time

Arvin had learned that you didn’t pry too much into other people’s affairs. Everyone had things they didn’t want to talk about, including himself.

Something broke in him that day. For the first time, he could see that his whole life added up to absolutely nothing.

Getting old was next to the worst goddamn thing that had ever happened to him.

He thought that sounded nice in a way, just going through your entire life with no more expectations than that. Sometimes he wished he weren’t so ambitious.

rich people did fine and dandy as long as things were going their way, but the minute the shit hit the fan, they fell apart like paper dolls left out in the rain.

The priest was sick of all the death he’d seen, all the prayers he’d said over rows of dead soldiers and piles of body parts.

It wore on you after a while, other people’s accomplishments.

too much religion could be as bad as too little, maybe even worse

“Looks ain’t everything,” Emma said.

Two weeks, he figured, and then he’d drive up and talk to her.