"It was a beguiling theory that might have arisen in the minds of Wiglet and Waddy and, yes, even in the not overly exercised mind of Fred Colon, and as far as Vimes could understand it, it went like this:
1. Supposing the area behind the barricades was bigger than the area in front of the barricades, right?
2. Like, sort of, it had more people in it and more of the city, if you follow me.
3. Then, correct me if I’m wrong, sarge, but that’d mean in a manner of speaking we are now in front of the barricades, am I right?
4. Then, as it were, it’s not like we’re rebellin’, is it? ‘cos there’s more of us, so the majority can’t rebel, it stands to reason.
5. So that makes us the good guys. Obviously we’ve been the good guys all along, but now it’d be kind of official, right? Like, mathematical?
6. So we thought we’d push on to Short Street and then we could nip down into Dimwell and up the other side of the river…
7. Are we going to get into trouble for this, sarge?
8. You’re looking at me in a funny way, sarge.
9. Sorry, sarge."

"Technically, the city of Ankh-Morpork is a Tyranny, which is not always the same thing as a monarchy, and in fact even the post of Tyrant has been somewhat redefined by the incumbent, Lord Vetinari, as the only form of democracy that works. Everyone is entitled to vote, unless disqualified by reason of age or not being Lord Vetinari.
And yet it does work. This has annoyed a number of people who feel, somehow, that it should not, and who want a monarch instead, thus replacing a man who has achieved his position by cunning, a deep understanding of the realities of the human psyche, breathtaking diplomacy, a certain prowess with the stiletto dagger, and, all agree, a mind like a perfectly balanced circular saw, with a man who has got there by being born…
A third proposition, that the city be governed by a choice of respectable members of the community who would promise not to give themselves airs or betray the public trust at every turn, was instantly the subject of music-hall jokes all over the city."

"I save about twenty drafts — that’s ten meg of disc space — and the last one contains all the final alterations. Once it has been printed out and received by the publishers, there’s a cry here of ‘Tough shit, literary researchers of the future, try getting a proper job!’ and the rest are wiped."

"It was a beguiling theory that might have arisen in the minds of Wiglet and Waddy and, yes, even in the not overly exercised mind of Fred Colon, and as far as Vimes could understand it, it went like this:
1. Supposing the area behind the barricades was bigger than the area in front of the barricades, right?
2. Like, sort of, it had more people in it and more of the city, if you follow me.
3. Then, correct me if I’m wrong, sarge, but that’d mean in a manner of speaking we are now in front of the barricades, am I right?
4. Then, as it were, it’s not like we’re rebellin’, is it? ‘cos there’s more of us, so the majority can’t rebel, it stands to reason.
5. So that makes us the good guys. Obviously we’ve been the good guys all along, but now it’d be kind of official, right? Like, mathematical?
6. So we thought we’d push on to Short Street and then we could nip down into Dimwell and up the other side of the river…
7. Are we going to get into trouble for this, sarge?
8. You’re looking at me in a funny way, sarge.
9. Sorry, sarge."