A corruption of intentions.

— Robert Ludlum

And then the earth, the world, the planet, the galaxy, and the entire solar system went crazy.

— Robert Ludlum

Before taking her into the library, my wife told me she was an old friend in a marriage crisis. A fatuous lie; at her age there are no crises left in marriage, only acceptance and extraction. (General Villains)

— Robert Ludlum

Characterization is integral to the theatrical experience.

— Robert Ludlum

I fought... I fought, and I fought...until I...couldn't remember anymore.

— Robert Ludlum

I get annoyed when a self-indulgent writer just shows off what he knows but doesn't really tell a story. To me storytelling is first a craft. Then, if you're lucky, it becomes an art form. But first, it's got to be a craft. You've got to have a beginning, middle and end. And I have sort of applied the theatrical principles to writing. Throw the story in the air and see what's going to happen.

— Robert Ludlum

Indiscriminate use among unintelligent leads to chaos.

— Robert Ludlum

I start every book with something that outrages me. I'm outraged by the FBI, the CIA, and computers that seem to have cataloged our lives. Power too is often accompanied by irresponsibility.

— Robert Ludlum

Men and women walked casually about as they did on the main floor, sometimes stopping one another, exchanging pleasantries or scraps of relevantly irrelevant information. Gossip.

— Robert Ludlum

Perhaps conscience did not always produce cowards. Sometimes it made a man feel better about himself.

— Robert Ludlum