"“I wish I could tell you, Daniel,” he said, “that the reason nobody else has seen this document is because a sinister…"

"“Nevertheless,” he went on, standing the envelope back up on its edge. “I would ask you, are the forces of indifferen…"

"Of course, I told myself that the only reason I was experiencing anything unusual was because I was expecting to expe…"

"Something in Karen’s tone triggered my inner contrarian, and I found myself disagreeing with her before I could quite…"

"The thing about crackpots is that they don’t respond well to rigorous questioning of their pet ideas."

"You see, I’ve tried philosophy, but philosophy feels far too cautious, too bound by human logic. And then there’s rel…"

"“I know what you mean,” I said. “I remember a couple of years ago—” But Sérgio held up a hand to stop me. “I apprecia…"

"Seeing our creation’s name in print made us feel like minor gods; we had summoned into existence a human being, or at…"

"As a student of history I understand the fleeting nature of any given way of life. What may seem to its occupants to …"

"You may also be wondering, incidentally, why my comrades and I aren’t preparing to defend our convent—or, better yet,…"