What do you say to that?" Giving a deep shrug, Taylor said, "That kind of political cynicism has been long out of date where I come from. I can't hel… - Wasp

Yes or no? Yes meant military victory, power and fear. No meant—what? Well, no meant a display of reasonableness in lieu of stubbornness. No meant a considerable change of mind. It struck him suddenly that one must possess redoubtable force of character to throw away a long-nursed viewpoint and adopt a new one. It required moral courage. The weak and the faltering could never achieve it.

Listen to me. You were born in Masham, capital city of Diracta – the Sirian home planet. Your father was a trader there at the time. You lived on Diracta until the age of seventeen, when you returned with your parents to Terra.

What's the matter with you? Got a bellyache or something?
"No, sir. I've been thinking."
"Does it hurt that much?"