• On the fifth day the Governor of the town called all the tribal chieftains to an audience in the market square, to hear their grievances. He didn’t always do anything about them, but at least they got heard, and he nodded a lot; and everyone felt better about it at least until they got home. This is politics. (p. 6)
  • ‘Got much worse weapons than teeth and claws. They’ve got brains.’ (p. 22)
  • ‘Anyway,’ he said, ‘just because you’re sworn enemies doesn’t mean you can’t be friends, does it?’ (p. 84)
  • Always pick a bigger enemy, because he’s easier to hit. (p. 110)
  • ‘Nothing has to happen. History isn’t something you live. It is something you make. One decision. One person. At the right time. Nothing is too small to make a difference. Anything can be changed.’ (p. 165)
  • ‘We’ve got lots of choice,’ said Pismire. ‘It’s just that we’ve got to choose to go to Ware.’ (p. 169)
  • Always choose a bigger enemy. It makes him easier to hit. (p. 174)
  • The Deftmenes are mad and the Dumii are sane, thought Snibril, and that’s just the same as being mad except that it’s quieter. If only you could mix them together, you’d end up with normal people. Just like me. (p. 191)
  • The Dumii distrusted imagination – they said it made people unreliable. (p. 238)