Conquered people tend to be witty.

More from Mr. Sammler's planet

• Goodness is achieved not in a vacuum, but in the company of other men, attended by love.
• There is only one way to defeat the enemy, and that is to write as well as one can. The best argument is an undeniably good book.
• With a novelist, like a surgeon, you have to get a feeling that you've fallen into good hands - someone from whom you can accept the anesthetic with confidence.