The librarians were mysterious. It was said they could tell what book you needed just by looking at you, and they could take your voice away with a word.

Granny knew all about bad fortune-telling. It was harder than the real thing. You needed a good imagination.

Everyone should occasionally break the law in some small and delightful way. It's good for the hygiene of the brain.

Maybe the only significant difference between a really smart simulation and a human being was the noise they made when you punched them.

I have, before now, waited for a pen to perform a macro.

Why not? If enough people believe, you can be god of anything.

I was just a kid then. But I won't forget. Nor will others. There's lots of people with reason to hate the Church.