I must cite an intrinsic condition of the universe. We set forth in any direction which seems convenient… — Jack Vance

We need no chieftain; such folk eat more than their share.

"When one deals with the Murthe, the unthinkable becomes the ordinary, and Zanzel's repute carries no more weight than last year's mouse-dropping - if that much."

Human interactions, stimulated as they are by disequilibrium, never achieve balance. In even the most favorable transaction, one party—whether he realizes it or not—must always come out the worse.