It had been a long dull evening, with only the thought of leaving the party early to look forward to. - Larry Niven

“What’s it like being dead?” Hebert asked.
“Not bad, really,” Wood Owl answered after a moment’s consideration. “Like waiting for a tax refund, only slower.”

A sapient species doesn’t reach space unless the members learn to cooperate. They’ll wreck the environment, one way or another, war or straight libertarianism or overbreeding.

Geoffrey Eustace Parlette had evidently imitated ancient bad taste in hopes of getting something new and different.