“Notice this rent in my garment; I am at a loss to explain its presence! I am even more puzzled by the existence of the universe.”

“I am a dull fellow...my person reeks, my conversation consists of insipid platitudes.”

“I am not Cugel the Clever for nothing!”

“Am I known as Cugel the Clever for nothing?”

“Cease the bickering! I am indulging the exotic whims of a beautiful princess and must not be distracted.”

“Mischief moves somewhere near and I must blast it with my magic.”

“The Silver Samarsanda stood above the Jardeen, behind a line of tall pencil cypress: an irregular bulk of masonry, plastered and whitewashed, with a wide, many-slanted roof of mossy tiles. Beside the entrance five colored lanterns hung in a vertical line: deep green, a dark, smoky scarlet, a gay light green, violet, and once more dark scarlet; and at the bottom, slightly to the side, a small, steady yellow lamp, the purport of all being: Never neglect the wonder of conscious existence, which too soon comes to an end!”