Old Man's War by John Scalzi

“I hate that I’ve become one of those old men who visits a cemetery to be with his dead wife. When I was (much) younger I used to ask Kathy what the point would be. A pile of rotting meat and bones that used to be a person isn’t a person anymore; it’s just a pile of rotting meat and bones. The person is gone—off to heaven or hell or wherever or nowhere. You might as well visit a side of beef. When you get older you realize this is still the case. You just don’t care. It’s what you have.” ― John Scalzi, Old Man's War

“What is it like when you lose someone you love?" Jane asked. "You die, too. And you wait around for your body to catch up.” ― John Scalzi, Old Man's War

“Part of what makes us human is what we mean to other people, and what people mean to us. I miss meaning something to someone, having that part of being human.” ― John Scalzi, Old Man's War

“I served with that son of a bitch, Corporal. Ruiz wouldn’t compliment his mother for giving birth to him, if you know what I mean.” ― John Scalzi, Old Man's War

“Every creature has a survival instinct. It looks like fear but it’s not the same thing. Fear isn’t the desire to avoid death or pain. Fear is rooted in the knowledge that what you recognize as yourself can cease to exist. Fear is existential.” ― John Scalzi, The Ghost Brigades