There was supervised recreation. This is the original contradiction of terms. It was for making suggestions about supervised recreation that the devi… - R. A. Lafferty

Pottscamp felt nothing; he was, of course, a machine without feeling. He had no conscience or compassion. This would not bother him at all.
It wouldn’t?
Then why did he-?
Then why did he-WHAT?
Sat on the ground and moaned and howled like an old Hebrew. And poured dust and ashes over his head.
You’re crazy. He really did that?
He really did that.

"You believe, in one of your theories, that we're in control of the world. We aren't. But we have been, and we will be whenever we wish. It's a day you will fear to see, that we come fully awake again. And we do come awake now. We will regain the world. Certain later interlopers have for some time ruled heaven and earth. Now we come back — ruthlessly."
"Don't you believe the others also have rights?"
"The others have had the run of their rights long enough. They are the interlopers, and it's time that the ancient line is restored. — Oh, Foley, I misunderstood you completely; that's always the difficulty of conversing with infants. You mean PEOPLE. You mean do people have any rights? Oh no, I don't believe that people have any rights."

Death is for a long time. Those of shallow thought say that it is forever. There is, at least, a long night of it. There is the forgetfulness and the loss of identity. The spirit, even as the body, is unstrung and burst and scattered. One goes down to death, and it leaves a mark on one forever.