Now that their long war was over, they could get on with the proper concern of all civilised nations, which is to prepare for the next one.

The most prudent thing any intelligent animal can do, if it would prefer its descendents not to spend a lot of time on a slab with electrodes clamped to their brains or sticking mines on the bottom of ships, or being patronised by zoologists, is to make bloody certain humans don't find out about it.

only to people!' shouted Rincewind. He drew his sword and, with a smooth overarm throw, completely failed to hit the troll.

A world like that, which exists only because the gods enjoy a joke, must be a place where magic can survive. And sex too, of course.

Plot exposition that can be gently wound out by the authorial voice and internal monologue of a character in the length of a page has to be delivered in a matter of seconds on the stage.

This was the definition of eternity; it was the space of time devised by the Great God Om to ensure that everyone got the punishment that was due to them.

It was amazing how many friends you could make by being bad at things, provided you were bad enough to be funny.