How we cite our quotes: (Story.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"What are you grinning for?" he asked the figure on the next branch. I CAN'T HELP IT, said Death. NOW WOULD YOU BE SO KIND AS TO LET GO? I CAN'T HANG AROUND ALL DAY. "I can," said Rincewind defiantly. (2.3.5-7)
Just in case you thought the first instance was a fluke, Rincewind again defies Death to keep on keeping on.
Quote #5
One flailing arm caught Twoflower's picture box as it skittered past on its tripod. [Rincewind] snatched it up instinctively, as his ancestors might have snatched up a stone when faced with a marauding tiger. If only he could get enough room to swing it against the Eye… (2.10.81)
Rincewind's perseverance is hardcoded into his DNA. In lieu of a stone or bone, he grabs a camera with which to smack around that nether-dimensional being.
Quote #6
Rincewind saw his own arm snap up until the shimmering blade was humming a mere inch from his throat. He tried to force his fingers to let go. They wouldn't. "I don't know how to be a hero!" he shouted. "I purpose to teach you."
Rincewind is often forced into situations of a traditional fantasy hero. But his desire for self-preservation is much stronger than those other heroes', so he's a bit out of practice on the whole hero-ing thing. Actually, he has no practice at all.