Organized mayhem," Nick commented, "seems to be the chief preoccupation of intelligent species everywhere. - Jack McDevitt

Fiction is unlike reality because it has an end, a conclusion, which allows the characters to stroll happily, or perhaps simply more wisely, out through the climax into the epilogue. But life is a tapestry. It has no satisfactory end. There are simply periods of acceleration and delay, victory and frustration, seasoned with periodic jolts of reality.

I'm not optimistic," he said. "The issue clearly flies in the face of the First Amendment. People have a right to tell kids whatever they want about religion."
"Do they have a right to push human sacrifice?"
"Of course not, Mac. But this isn't human sacrifice. It's just a church school."
"I'm not sure the effect isn't similar.

“How are you going to define ‘spiritual’?” asked Mona. No one had any idea.