"It was just as Master Mandrag always said: nine tenths of chemistry was waiting."

““You’re just getting old.” She gave a dramatic sigh. “Truly, all the more’s the tragedy; the second thing to go is a man’s memory.”

“Nothing makes a man feel older than a young woman.”

“Like all boys my age, I was an idiot when it came to women.”

“Fear tends to come from ignorance. Once I knew what the problem was, it was just a problem, nothing to fear.”

“It’s like this: if you have one piece of cake, and you eat it, that’s fine. If you have two pieces of cake, you should probably share some with a friend. But maybe not. Occasionally we could all use two pieces of cake. But if you have a whole cake, and you eat *all* of it, that’s not very cool. It’s not just selfish, it’s kinda sick and unhealthy.”

“Mauthen ain’t much for listenen. Nothin’ plugs a man’s ears like money.”