Quit crossing your fingers, Wim; the only thing that’ll ever save you from is the respect of educated men. The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge (2001)
The hard facts are extraordinary, without adding superstitious mumbo-jumbo. A Deepness in the Sky (1999)
Viki was awed by all the incredible quackery. Daddy thought such things were amusing—“like religion but not so deadly.” A Deepness in the Sky (1999)