There has never been any custom, however useless it may become with changing conditions, that isn't clung to desperately simply because it is somethi… - Isaac Asimov

All the land surface of Trantor, 75,000,000 square miles in extent, was a single city. The population, at its height, was well in excess of forty billions. This enormous population was devoted almost entirely to the administrative necessities of Empire, and found themselves all too few for the complications of the task. (It is to be remembered that the impossibility of proper administration of the Galactic Empire under the uninspired leadership of the later Emperors was a considerable factor in the Fall.)

No se trataba de un rey, pues no había heredado su cargo ni, por ende, tenía ningún derecho legal o sagrado. Era sencillamente un "amo", nada más. La palabra griega que lo designaba era tyrannos, que se ha convertido en nuestra voz "tirano".

Perché tante persone passavano la loro vita senza cercare la risposta a tutte le domande che c'erano... anzi, senza nemmeno porsi le domande? si chiese Seldon. Nella vita, esisteva qualcosa di più eccitante della ricerca delle risposte?