“The problems are large,” Reith agreed. “Still, assuming that your premise is correct—” “‘Assume’? ‘Premise’?” demanded the fat woman in a shocked vo… - Jack Vance

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“The problems are large,” Reith agreed. “Still, assuming that your premise is correct—”
“‘Assume’? ‘Premise’?” demanded the fat woman in a shocked voice. ‘Revelation,’ rather.”
“Possibly so. But mysticism is not a practical approach to space travel.”