I quite understand.

'Of course, of course,' he said. 'You have to believe that, I appreciate. Otherwise you'd go quite mad. Otherwise you'd think you're standing on a feather-thin bridge over the vaults of Hell. Otherwise existence would be a dark agony and the only hope would be that there is no life after death. I quite understand.'

-Havelock Vetinari
Patrician, absolute ruler and nearly benevolent dictator of Ankh-Morpork