”‘The minute people start cheating on laws, what do you think happens to society?’ If Hazel hadn't been able to come up with an answer to this question, George couldn't have supplied one. A siren was going off in his head. ‘Reckon it'd fall all apart,’ said Hazel. ‘What would?’ said George blankly. ‘Society,’ said Hazel uncertainly. ‘Wasn't that what you just said?’ ‘Who knows?’ said George.”

“It was tragic, all right, but George and Hazel couldn't think about it very hard. Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn't think about anything except in short bursts. And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times.” 

“During the day it was a thunderous surge of cars, the gas stations open, a great insect rustling and a ceaseless jockeying for position as the scarab-beetles, a faint incense puttering from their exhausts, skimmed homeward to the far directions.”

“Magazines and books didn't sell any more. Everything went on in the tomblike houses at night now, he thought, continuing his fancy. The tombs, ill-lit by television light, where the people sat like the dead, the gray or multicolored lights touching their faces, but never really touching them."

“As he had expected, there was no one in the front seat, no one in the car at all.”

“He seemed to understand the hellish limbo where Sly lived—too smart to be with other chimps, but too much of an animal to be with humans.”

"Where are you taking me?" The car hesitated, or rather gave a faint
whirring click, as if information, somewhere, was dropping card by punch-slotted card under electric eyes. "To the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies."

“It was horrible. People fled in panic, especially when the monsters started coming out of the spaceships.”

"Bert and Sara were about ready to turn in, having watched the instant replay of the destruction of Washington for
the fourth or fifth time."