"This book is written in such a way that any willing reader should be capable of absorbing it. That was the plan, anyway. You may not agree with my ideas, but you should be able to understand them (provided you make some effort). Because of the subject, it can probably be classified as somewhat of a philosophical work—without ambition for any scientific recognition. (I rhyme a little, but the rhythm—have mercy, Lord!)"

"To see this, all you have to do is take a good look at how Nature works. No, not the one we like to spend time in, with flowers in the meadow, birds chirping, and lions ripping their prey to shreds. I mean the all-powerful one, spelled with a capital N, that is everywhere and runs everything. As soon as you do, you will inevitably conclude that it works in an absolutely perfect and yet incredibly simple way."

"In the case of life, there’s a cycle again. (...) Something is born, grows, and then dies, only to be reborn and continue to grow. In contrast, imagine that biological life has no end. Such a prospect, at least at first glance, would probably please many of us (unless you work in the funeral industry). A second glance, however, would probably leave many people depressed. We could conclude that we don't exist at all. Who would want to make us, and what for?"

"Who or what is a human? I ask this question in two variants because some believe that a human is some sort of machine or device. (...) The proponents of this concept argue that we are nothing but a bunch of atoms. All the processes that take place in and around us are their work alone. They claim that there is no significant distinction between a saddle, a horse, and a rider. The only difference lies in the complexity of the operations each machine needs to handle."

"Everything had its beginning a long time ago. People started to analyze the surrounding reality. They considered it possible that some nonmaterial part of them doesn't die for good, but instead travels to the great Beyond. But what can you do to make sure you don’t miss the trip? And how do you get there? If there is a demand, there is always a service provider. And the more interested customers, the richer the offer."

"People are the inevitable consequence of the developmental processes occurring in Nature. They continue to evolve, only at a higher level compared to their predecessors. I can’t imagine what other reason we would take up space on Earth for. If I’m right, one biological lifetime is clearly not enough for decent development. Especially when you remember that our starting positions are very different."

"There’s no such thing as collective interest. There is only the sum of individual interests. (...) When you live in a group, you have to coordinate your own desires with those of others (at least to some extent, because everybody takes care of their own stuff anyway). Alternatively, you can move to a sparsely populated area—or, following the example of a certain Robinson, to a place with no population at all."