Give a man a fire and he’s warm for a day, but set fire to him and he’s warm for the rest of his life.

It is true that words have power, and one of the things they are able to do is get out of someone’s mouth before the speaker has the chance to stop them.

There’s always the dwarf bread.

He had a notebook. He took notes in it. It was always useful. And them Sybil, gods bless her, had brought him this fifteen-function imp which did so many other things, although as far as...

Amazin’.’ he said again. ‘He just looks as though he’s thinking, right?”Er…yes.”But he’s not actually thinking?”Er…no.”So…he just gives the impression of thinking but really it’s just a show?”Er…yes.’Just like everyone else, then really,’ said Ridcully

God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players [i.e. everybody], to being involved...

In theory it was, around now, Literature. Susan hated Literature. She’d much prefer to read a good book.

Anyone with half a mind could see that,” said Tiffany.Miss Tick sighed. “Yes. But sometimes it’s so hard to find half a mind when you need one.

You know, you’re rather amusingly wrong.

Gods don’t like people not doing much work. People who aren’t busy all the time might start to think.

Now that I have smelled you, I can face you down. Even though my body is shaking, I can keep a place free from you. I can feel you running round in my head, you...

Rob turned the rustling pages and grinned.’Ach, she’s writ here: “Oh, the dear Feegles ha’ turned up again,”‘ he said. This met with general applause.’Ach, what a kind girl she is tae write that,’ said...

And sin, young man, is when you treat people like things.

Or — and this she knew was a far more accurate way of looking at it — the book was true and reality was lying.

Joy is to fun what the deep sea is to a puddle. It’s a feeling inside that can hardly be contained.

People said there had to be a Supreme Being because otherwise how could the universe exist, eh?And of course there clearly had to be, said Koomi, a Supreme Being. But since the universe was a...

He’d never asked for an exciting life. What he really liked, what he sought on every occasion, was boredom. The trouble was that boredom tended to explode in your face. Just when he thought he’d...

Esk felt that bravery was called for, but on a night like this bravery lasted only as long as a candle stayed alight.

Vimes had once discussed the Ephebian idea of ‘democracy’ with Carrot, and had been rather interested in the idea that everyone had a vote until he found out that while he, Vimes, would have a...

His voice gave out and he made several wavy motions with his hand, indicative of the shape of a woman who would probably be unable to keep her balance.

I don’t want unnecessary violence, sergeant,” said Blouse.”Right you are, sir!” said the sergeant. “Carborundum! First man comes through that door runnin’, I want him nailed to the wall!” He caught the lieutenant’s eye, and...

The fact was that, as droves of demon kings had noticed, there was a limit to what you could do to a soul with, e.g., red-hot tweezers, because even fairly evil and corrupt souls were...

He helped the Librarian up. There was a red glow in the ape’s eyes. It had tried to steal his books. This was probably the best proof any wizard could require that the trolleys were...

Me parece que no lo entiendes. Las vidas de las personas pasan por delante de sus ojos antes de que mueran, y el proceso se llama ‘vivir’. ,Te apetece un camarón?

Er, why do you need to work in a dark room, though?” he said. “The imps don’t need it, do they?””Ah, zis is for my experiment,” said Otto proudly. “You know zat another term for...

It was funny how people were people everywhere you went, even if the people concerned weren’t the people the people who made up the phrase “people are people everywhere” had traditionally thought of as people.

Then Cheery Littlebottom had arrived in Ankh-Morpork and had seen that there were men out there who did not wear chain mail or leather underwear, but did wear interesting colors and exciting makeup, and these...

There are times in life when people must know when not to let go. Balloons are designed to teach small children this.

The neck in front of her came up. The head swivelled 180 degrees and the horse looked at Kin with bright insectile eyes.’YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND,’ it said inside Kin’s head.’Hell!”THOSE ARE NOT MEANINGFUL...

Verence would rather cut his own leg off than put a witch in prison, since it’d save trouble in the long run and probably be less painful.

When millions of tons of angry elephant come spinning through the sky, and there was no one there to hear it, does it – philosopically speaking – make a noise?

They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it’s not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.

This book was written using 100% recycled words.

I’d rather be a rising ape than a falling angel.

Anyway, lots of warrior tribes think that when they die, they go to a heavenly land somewhere,” said the toad. “You know, where they can drink and fight and feast forever? So maybe this is...

I never said nothing… I know you never! I could hear you not saying anything! You’ve got the loudest silences I ever did hear from anyone who wasn’t dead!

When you can flatten entire cities at a whim, a tendency towards quiet reflection and seeing-things-from-the-other-fellow’s-point- of-view is seldom necessary.

War, Nobby. Huh! What is it good for?” he said. “Dunno, Sarge. Freeing slaves, maybe?””Absol—well, okay.” “Defending yourself against a totalitarian aggressor?””All right, I’ll grant you that, but—””Saving civilization from a horde of—” “It doesn’t...

You’d like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn’t you, Comrade Sergeant?’ said Reg encouragingly.’I’d like a hard-boiled egg,’ said Vimes, shaking the match out.There was some nervous laughter, but Reg looked offended.’In the circumstances, Sergeant, I...

He had never been interested in stories at any age, and had never quite understood the basic concept. He’d never read a work of fiction all the way through. He did remember, as a small...

He shrugged. – They’re just people – he said. – They’re just doing what people do. Sir.Lord Vetinari gave him a friendly smile.- Of course, of course – he said. – You have to believe...

Lots of people in history have only done their jobs and look at the trouble they caused

That’s what’s so stupid about the whole magic thing, you know. You spend twenty years learning the spell that makes nude virgins appear in your bedroom, and then you’re so poisoned by quicksilver fumes and...

We’re living in science fiction, but we don’t realize it.

Tiffany has been apprenticing as a witch by visiting people in need with her mentor. After meeting with one particularly sad case, she tells her mentor, “It shouldn’t be like this.” Her mentor replies, “There...

She waited with Billy Slick while Carrot went on the errand, and for something to say, she said, ‘Billy Slick doesn’t sound much like a goblin name?’ Billy made a face. ‘Too right! Granny calls...

It is possibly worth mentioning at this point that Mr. Young thought that paparazzi was a kind of Italian linoleum.

It doesn’t stop being magic just because you know how it works.

The games we play are lessons we learn. He assumptions we make, things we ignore, and things we change make us what we become.

In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.