“I am a trained professional liar. Do not read me as a textbook.”

“Clever's not enough to hold me - I want characters who are more than devices to be moved about for Effect.”

“Manhattan in the morning is a living stream of Purpose; everyone's got a place to be and a problem on their mind. That doesn't mean it's and unfriendly place -- just busy and preoccupied. Personally, I love it. I'm a social creature but there are times and places you just don't want to do more than grunt at your fellow human being.”

“I'm not so arrogant to think I'm the only guide someone needs ... but I might be the guide that someone needs.”

“Civilization did not come with fire. It came with the discovery of how to use fire to heat water.”

“I have more enemies than I deserve," I said. "I am fighting a losing battle, me against the world. The next century is at stake. Time is running out and my optimism is sorely strained.""Yeah?" he said. "I was young once too.”

“He scanned the page looking for an entry that read, "Help! I'm Almost Thirteen Years Old and I Still Have the Muscles of a Third-Grader!" but apparently Robert's condition was so freakish and rare, the authors of the book didn't even bother to include it.”