Related:

• Reasoned decision is important, and there comes a time in every wizard's life when he must decide what goal he should pursue to give true meaning to his life.
  Should it be money, or travel, or fame? And what of leisure and the love of women?...
• There are as many styles of magic as there are magicians.
  While much of magic is gaudy, noisy, and easily appreciated by the masses, it goes without saying that some of the finest sorcery is also the most subtle...
• Wizards, like all mortals, need their rest. Casting spells, righting wrongs, and putting a little away for your old age can all be draining occupations.
  The true wizard must therefore always insist on a good night's sleep, and a few days' respite between tasks....
• A wizard's reputation is his bond, or so the sages say.
  And, as all learned men know, a reputation is difficult to build, and all too easily besmirched....
• When traveling, the sages say, one must always be prepared to accept local customs.
  Yet there are areas of this very kingdom where one might find it customary to tax a wizard into poverty...
• The common folk have many sayings, all about it being darkest before the dawn and clouds with silver linings and suchlike.
  We in the magical trade like to express our opinions of these matters somewhat differently....
• The professional wizard, it is said, should always watch his hands.
  Actually, the truly professional wizard should watch a great many other things as well, including the reactions of his audience, the door or window that constitutes the nearest exit, and, perhaps most important, the constantly fluctuating interest rates on his retirement account in the First Bank of Vushta....
• Wizards are constantly subject to negative publicity.
  A case in point. One elderly wizard of my acquaintance, whenever he was bothered by unexpected guests, would immediately cast one of three spells upon them, either turning them to stone, transforming them into segmented worms, or blasting them entirely out of the kingdom....
• Casual amusement can be one of a wizard's greatest problems.
  After all, when one can conjure virtually anything, what can one do to 'get away from it all?...