“Oiled, with tube bones cut from bronze and sunk in gelatin, the robots lay. In coffins for the not dead and not alive, in planked boxes, the metronomes waited to be set in motion. There was a smell of lubrication and lathed brass. There was a silence of the tomb yard. Sexed but sexless, the robots. Named but unnamed, and borrowing from humans everything but humanity, the robots stared at the nailed lids of their labeled F.O.B. boxes, in a death that was not even a death, for there had never been a life.”

“The Three Laws of Robotics:1: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm;2: A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law;3: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law;The Zeroth Law: A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.”

“Forget dice rolling or boxes of chocolates as metaphors for life. Think of yourself as a dreaming robot on autopilot, and you'll be much closer to the truth.”

“Human society as a whole is a vast brainwashing machine whose semantic rules and sex roles create a social robot.”

“Free will is an illusion. Humans are nothing but moist robots.”

“The music coming from inside sounded like robots fucking. And complaining about it. In rhythmic monotone. European robots.”