He has brain waves!" she shouted. "He has the same kind of brain waves as chickens. As a matter of fact, his brain waves are virtually indistinguisha… - Sheri S. Tepper

We have a membership provided the ISTO doesn't declare all Earthians a barbarian people."
"I don't know what that means," I persisted, even though this wasn't strictly part of the subject.
Father gritted his teeth. "ISTO recognizes four types of creatures: civilized, semicivilized, barbarians, and animals. Civilized people know about, care about, and protect their environments. Semicivilized people know and care, but can't do anything…"
"Why not?"
Mother said, "Because something prevents their acting in their own self-interest. Public apathy. Commercial interference. Religious opposition. Governmental corruption. The Gentherans say the humans have a lot of that."
Father frowned at her and went on. "Barbarians know but don't care about their worlds, and animals don't even know.

do whatever it was they expected her to do because they were always expecting her to do something more or be something more until it didn’t feel like there was enough of her left to go around.

"We have simply been too fearful to go into that place."
"You? Fearful?" I doubted this.
"Do not mistake my arrogance for courage, my son. It is true that I am renowned for what I can do. But I am afraid of the unknown, as are most men, Gamesmen or pawns alike."