At most, the gods gave only a little happiness; the rest was merely existence. - Poul Anderson

Anderson demonstrates that if one accepts a sham mystery as real, one has stopped or strayed in the search for truth, and truth has survival value.

Think. You have had your dealings with our bureaucracy. It is impossible not to, especially if one is a foreigner. Believe me, when we set our minds to it we can tangle, obstruct, and bring to a dead halt a herd of stampeding elephants.

The universe held as many surprises as it did stars. No, more. That was its glory. But someday one of them was bound to kill you.