I've got an impossible job on my hands," he told them, "and if I succeed at it, there's an inconceivable one to follow. - Murray Leinster

Her eyes upon him were soft. Civilized people act upon intellectualized motives. They decide what is wise, and sometimes do it. But when they are swayed by purest primitive instincts they are usually happier. Hana was responding to one of the most ancient of all known human impulses—admiration of a proved warrior.

I've never noticed that being nonsensical keeps things from happening. Don’t you ever read about politics?

Lon frowned. “They’re so far ahead of us,” he said uneasily, “that they could conquer us if they wanted to. And that’s bad!”
“Lon!” said the older man severely. “They’re civilized! Civilized men don’t want to conquer other men!”