From somewhere, back in my youth, heard Prof say, 'Manuel, when faced with a problem you do not understand, do any part of it you do understand, then look at it again.' He had been teaching me something he himself did not understand very well—something in math—but had taught me something far more important, a basic principle.

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty. This is known as "bad luck.

Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat.

Anyone can see a forest fire. Skill lies in sniffing the first smoke.

Only a sadistic scoundrel-or a fool-tells the bald truth on social occasions.

Oh, you have to charge 'em, Jubal. The marks won't pay attention if it's free.

Every general prohibition creates its bootleggers.