“Any event once it has occurred can be made to appear inevitable by a competent historian.”

“Paradox is an overrated threat. There is...a quality similar to inertia at work. Once an event has occurred, there is an extremely strong tendency for that event to occur. The larger, more significant, or more energetic the event, the more it tends to remain as it originally happened, despite any interference."I frowned. "There's...a law of conservation of history?”

“To philosopher and historian the madness and imbecile wickedness of mankind ought to appear ordinary events.”

“To give an accurate description of what has never occurred is not merely the proper occupation of the historian, but the inalienable privilege of any man of parts and culture.”

“It would in retrospect appear to be a stop on a narrative path that was inevitable, but this is only because most events, most paths, feel inevitable in retrospect.”

“We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur.”