“Human beings can get used to virtually anything, given plenty of time and no choice in the matter whatsoever.”

“. . . Birmingham City Council was playing third time lucky with the design of the city's celebrated Victoria Square . . .”

“Among the gods, there is a dispute as to which one of them originally thought of Christianity; or, as they call it, the Great Leg Pull. Apollo has the best claim, but a sizeable minority support Pluto, ex-God of the Dead, on the grounds that he has a really sick sense of humour.How would it be, suggested the unidentified god, if first we tell them all to love their neighbour, pack in the killing and thieving, and be nice to each other. Then we let them start burning heretics.”

“Mostly I sit at home in the evenings watching the box and hoping that one day I'll evolve into plankton.”

“The conscientious arsonist doesn't just set the building on fire; first he fills the fire extinguishers with petrol.”

“When you're about to die, your whole life's supposed to flash before your eyes. When you fall in true love, on the other hand, what you see in the twinkling of an eye is your entire future.”

“After all, what else is scientific enquiry of any sort other than a controlled version of banging one's head against the universe until something gives?”