“Memory is an illusion, nothing more. It is a fire that needs constant tending.”

“If you need to find out the kindling point of paper (451° F), don’t call an academic, call the fire department.”

“We're nothing more than dust jackets for books, of no significance otherwise.”

“Forget them. Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean.”

“For if we're destroyed, the knowledge is dead...We're nothing more than dust jackets for books...so many pages to a person...”

“They walked still farther and the girl said, "Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?" No. Houses have always been fireproof, take my word for it." Strange. I heard once that a long time ago houses used to burn by accident and they needed firemen to stop the flames.”

“Over the years, they had destroyed all of him, removing hands, arms, and legs and leaving him with substitutes as delicate and useless as chess pieces. And now they were tampering with something more intangible--the memory; they were trying to cut the wires which led back into another year.”