You had to hand it to the Patrician, he admitted grudgingly. If you didn't, he sent men to come and take it away.

When people say things are a lot more complicated than that, they means they're getting worried that they won't like the truth.

Winston Churchill said 'In war time, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies'. Any book called The Truth should therefore have one.

It was the heart of any scam or fiddle -- keep the punter uncertain, or, if he is certain, make him certain of the wrong thing.

Some people think this is paranoia, but it isn't. Paranoids only think everyone is out to get them. Wizards know it.

In my experience, what every true artist wants, really wants, is to be paid.

Dedication: My thanks to the people who showed me that opera was stranger than I could imagine. I can best repay their kindness by not mentioning their names here.