“Allow me to translate, Twitchtip said, not even bothering to move. "She said if you don't stop your incessant babble, that big rat sitting in the boat next to you will rip your head off.”

“The bulls are my best friends."I translated to Brett."You kill your friends?" she asked."Always," he said in English, and laughed. "So they don't kill me.”

“I hope you’re not planning on kicking me,” he said,not even bothering to look up from his book, “as hardas you did those doors.”“I will,” I said, “if the next words out of your mouthare Pierce, you just need to relax.”

“You are old Father William,' the young man said, 'and your hair has become very white; and yet you incessantly stand on your head-do you think, at your age, it is right?”

“[...] if your boat is heading upstream toward some intended destination on a pre-planned itinerary, you seldom bother to linger with the surprise that waits around the next bend. You never experience the beauty of just letting it happen.”

“You're English," he said. "And I will therefore make certain allowances for you. I realize you don't understand you shouldn't argue with me, and so I'll explain it to you. Don't argue with me."Incredulous, she said, "That's it? 'Don't argue with me' is your explanation as to why I shouldn't argue with you?”