The Number of the Beast

Who is more real? Homer or Ulysses? Shakespeare or Hamlet? Burroughs or Tarzan?

A man who bets on greed an dishonesty won't be wrong too often.

The Bible is such a gargantuan collection of conflicting values that anyone can "prove" anything from it.

There are three schools of magic. One: State a tautology, then ring the changes on its corollaries; that’s philosophy. Two: Record many facts. Try to see a pattern. Then make a wrong guess at the next fact; that’s science. Three: Awareness that you live in a malevolent universe controlled by Murphy’s Law, sometimes offset

If God displaces the Devil, he must assume the Devil’s attributes.

We lived here a while. No annex then, had to have an armed guard just to pee.

Your computers must be three-phase A.C.

Random’ and ‘chance’ are not related. ‘Random chance’ is a nonsense expression

Where you go, I go. Today and to the end of our lives. Unless you tell me to get out, that you don’t want me anymore. I have spoken.” “You certainly have, dear. Hilda?

Jacob, even though I find it necessary to leave you … I love and respect you … and will always listen to you.

Oh, no, Sharpie. I’ve stood my watch; it’s somebody else’s turn. Now that you have resigned, we have no organization.

Sir, every nation is capable of atrocities, including our own.

Without Gay, without her ability to do a Drunkard’s Walk, we could have searched that planet for a lifetime, and never found either colony.

Hilda my love, for a scouting expedition the situation becomes equivalent to a craft in motion. Again we require a captain.

(All the more reason to conduct drill as realistically as possible. Jake or I, one of us, is honor bound to stay alive to take care of two women and unborn children; exterminating ‘Black-Hat’ vermin holds a poor second to that.)

One night I had been forced to reason with my darling; Hilda felt that I should lead our little band. I was oldest,

should not change geological features appreciably and placement of cities is largely controlled by geography.

Zeb should command while Jacob handled space-time controls—to each his own. Jacob had asked me to please take orders from Zeb with no back talk … which had miffed me a little.

Discipline—self-discipline; there is no other sort.

A man who bets on greed and dishonesty won’t be wrong too often.

We’re trying to apply Clarke’s Law.” “I don’t recall it. Maybe it was while I was out with mumps.” “Arthur C. Clarke,” Pop told her. “Great man—too bad he was liquidated in The Purge.

history is loaded with “scientists” jumping to conclusions from superficial evidence.

Mmm, a futile discussion. So my problem child is adequate?” “Well … he’s not a member of the Ku Klux Klan—” “I never thought he was! Zebbie isn’t that sort.” “—but he’s a wizard under a sheet!