Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like.

I have gone into town to buy a few last things we need for the expedition: Peruvian wasp repellent, toothbrushes, canned peaches, and a fireproof canoe. It will take a while to find the peaches, so don't expect me back until dinnertime. Stephano, Gustav's replacement, will arrive today by taxi. Please make him feel welcome. As you know, it is only two days until the expedition, so please work very hard today. Your giddy uncle, Monty

There are many, many types of books in the world, which makes good sense, because there are many, many types of people, and everybody wants to read something different.

There are two kinds of fears: rational and irrational- or in simpler terms, fears that make sense and fears that don't.

What happens in a certain place can stain your feelings for that location, just as ink can stain a white sheet.

The whole thing of what I’ve been trying,” you said, “is that you’re different, and you keep asking about the other girls, but what I mean is that I don’t think about them, because of the way you are.

Announcing your death should be like announcing that you are a lunar moth: It must be done quietly or it will not be believed.