boasts are wind and deeds are hard. - Isaac Asimov

The fall of Trantor," said Seldon, "cannot be stopped by any conceivable effort. It can be hastened easily, however. The tale of my interrupted trial will spread through the Galaxy. Frustration of my plans to lighten the disaster will convince people that the future holds no promise to them. Already they recall the lives of their grandfathers with envy. They will see that political revolutions and trade stagnations will increase. The feeling will pervade the Galaxy that only what a man can grasp for himself at that moment will be of any account. Ambitious men will not wait and unscrupulous men will not hang back. By their every action they will hasten the decay of the worlds.

¿Se encuentra usted en peligro, señor? — Oh, sí. Existe la probabilidad de un 1,7% de que me ejecuten.

Remarkable what a fragile flower romance is. A gun with a nervous operator behind it can spoil the whole thing.