Why are people born? Why do they die? Why do they want to spend so much of the intervening time wearing digital watches?

42 is a nice number that you can take home and introduce to your family.

Numbers written on restaurant bills within the confines of restaurants do not follow the same mathematical laws as numbers written on any other pieces of paper in any other parts of the Universe. This single fact took the scientific world by storm.

You just come along with me and have a good time. The Galaxy's a fun place. You'll need to have this fish in your ear.

Simple. I got very bored and depressed, so I went and plugged myself in to its external computer feed. I talked to the computer at great length and explained my view of the Universe to it," said Marvin. "And what happened?" pressed Ford. "It committed suicide," said Marvin and stalked off back to the Heart of Gold.

All you really need to know for the moment is that the universe is a lot more complicated than you might think, even if you start from a position of thinking it's pretty damn complicated in the first place.

Dirk was, for one of the few times in a life of exuberantly prolific loquacity, wordless.