I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be the respected patriarch of an ordinary English family." "Very boring, Emerson.

a church ought to express the joy of religion as well as its majesty.

There are too many people in the world as it is, but the supply of ancient manuscripts is severely limited.

I've been reading ghost stories ever since I could read. I'm immensely curious about ghosts and UFOs and all that stuff, but I'm a very hard-headed person.

...Nefret said with a gusty sigh, 'Well, that's done it. We may as well join in, Ramses, family arguments are the favorite form of amusement here and this looks like being a loud one.

Getting an idea for a book is not the problem, but you need 300 ideas - an idea a page.

It's not unsporting to thrash a cowardly cad,' said Simmons. 'Everyone knows you don't fight like a gentleman.' 'That might be called an oxymoron,' Ramses said. 'Oh--sorry. Bad form to use long words. Look it up when you get home.' The poor devil didn't know how to fight, like a gentleman or otherwise.