Yes, that's it exactly right on both counts. There's this great bit in Feet of Clay where Vimes and crew are doing their thing (being hilarious) and there's a golem, and then Pratchett just drops this one little line about how Golems run on the words in their head and in like half a sentence he draws this quiet, beautiful parallel with, well, everybody. Sigh.

I'm reading the books thematically rather than chronologically -- guards stuff first, and then maybe back at the beginning for Rincewind. It's really letting me see how his style changes. A little less funny, a little sharper around the edges, a little more knotted up. Good and bad, though I've also been warned that some either later stuff is simply tired. Ah well, I'm sure there's a metaphor about a few soft apples in a great big bushel, or something.