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One moment’s inattention, and the long expected death came at last—unexpectedly! In that agonized moment, sprawled helpless upon the uncaring ground, Polletti realized that no preparation for one’s own death is possible. Death has had too much experience in catching men off guard, in piercing their attitudes and reducing their poses.

— Robert Sheckley The 10th Victim (1965)

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More quotes by Robert Sheckley

Outside the curtained windows, Paris stewed in its miasma of self-congratulation and diesel fumes.

Hunter/Victim (1988)

How does the fool build his paradise?—out of the crumbling bricks of illusion and the watery cement of hope.

The Game of X (1965)

Man is the only animal whose fear of embarrassment can overcome his instinct for self-preservation.

The Game of X (1965)

Still, no matter how commonplace, one’s death is the most interesting event of one’s life.

Immortality, Inc (1959)

Nobody says any longer, “When will the killing stop?” Now we know that the killing will stop only when life itself stops.

Victim Prime (1987)

All Robert Sheckley quotes →

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Robert Sheckley (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.