Genius Is An Infinite Capacity For Pain.

But The Toaster Was Quite Satisfied With Itself, Thank You. Though It Knew From Magazines That There Were Toasters Who Could Toast Four Slices At A Time, It Didn't Think That The Master, Who Lived Alone And Seemed To Have Few Friends, Would Have Wanted A Toaster Of Such Institutional Proportions. With Toast, It's Quality That Matters, Not Quantity.

But Before Any Of The Small Appliances Who May Be Listening To This Tale Should Begin To Think That They Might Do The Same Thing, Let Them Be Warned: Electricity Is Very Dangerous. Never Play With Old Batteries! Never Put Your Plug In A Strange Socket! And If You Are In Any Doubt About The Voltage Of The Current Where You Are Living, Ask A Major Appliance.

Creativeness Is Finding Patterns Where None Exist.

Gene Wolfe Has Produced A Work Of Art That Can Satisfy Adult Appetites And In Which Even The Most Fantastical Elements Register As Poetry Rather Than As Penny-whistle Whimsy.

So, Without Saying Anything To The Others, It Made Its Way To The Farthest Corner Of The Meadow And Began To Toast An Imaginary Muffin. That Was Always The Best Way To Unwind When Things Got To Be Too Much For It.