"I mean it.  A confidence man knows that he's lying; that limits his scope.  But a successful shaman ropes himself first; he believes what he says - and such belief is contagious; there is no limit to his scope.  But I lacked the necessary confidence in my own infallibility; I could never become a prophet... just a critic - which is a poor thing at best, a sort of fourth-rate prophet suffering from delusions of gender." Jubal frowned. "That's what worries me about Fosterites, Jill.  I think that they are utterly sincere and you and I know that Mike is a sucker for sincerity."