It was an eccentric sort of event, even for Esmeralda, and needed a special kind of person to volunteer to do it. Luckily, the human race has never t… - Robert Sheckley

Rome has an ambiance, puerile yet unmatchable. Rome hints at the possibility of becoming the main actor in the drama of one’s own life. (The hint is false, of course; but the stolid northern cities do not even possess the hint.)

Marvin did not give way to despair. He gave way instead to anger, which was a much healthier emotion, though equally unproductive.

He turned to Mingus. “Why don’t you just leave them alone? I really don’t care what your motives are. Hasn’t Earth had enough emperors, dictators, generalissimos, war lords, Great Khans, Shahinshahs, Caesars, whatever you want to call them? Some of them had admirable motives—but the only people they really helped were themselves.”
“I suppose you feel that a state of anarchy is preferable?” Mingus asked.
“I think it probably is,” Hieronymous said. “The main defect of anarchy is its vulnerability to people like you.”