Quotes by David Brin

“We have earned our peace. It is, by now, more precious than honor, or even pity.”

“It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.”

“Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must be cantankerous and objectionable in ord...”

“While I have the floor, here's a question that's been bothering me for some time. Why do so few writers of heroic or epic fantasy ever deal with the fundamental quandary of their novels . . . that ...”

“Your neighbors are not all sheep. Your political opponents are not all evil or fools. Try talking to those you despise. They are your fellow citizens. And together, we are not lesser than any "grea...”

“It's said that 'power corrupts,' but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. When they do act, they think of it as se...”

“...where were answers to the truly deep questions? Religion promised those, though always in vague terms, while retreating from one line in the sand to the next. Don't look past this boundary, they...”

“Prison for the crime of puberty -- that was how secondary school had seemed.”

“The species greatest harvest words.”

“Alex felt the words wash over him. He had the strange fantasy the things were seeking places within him to lay their young.”

“The health of an enlightened and progressive society is measured by how vibrant is its science fiction, since that is where true self-critique and appraisal and hope lie.”

“Creative people see Prometheus in a mirror, never Pandora.”

“If there are still honest-smart men and women within those old and noble traditions, they should think carefully, observe and diagnose the illness. They should face the contradiction. Discuss the c...”

“Self-awareness is probably overrated. A complex, self-regulating system doesn't need it in order to be successful, or even smart.”

“Cultural contamination that is directed outward is always seen as enlightenment.”

“It was a strange trek the sullen leading the apathetic, followed by the confused, all tailed by the inveterately amused.”

“The propensity of Earthlings to get into trouble, and to learn thereby, was the reason my owners agreed to this mad venture although no one expected such a chain of unusual calamities as befell th...”

“I consider Yoda to be just about the most evil character that Ive ever seen in the history of literature. I have gotten people into tongue-tied snits unable to name for me one scene in which Yoda i...”

“The three basic material rights -- continuity, mutual obligation, and the pursuit of happiness.”

“Generalization is a natural human mental process, and many generalizations are truein average. What often does promote evil behavior is the lazy, nasty habit of believing that generalizations have ...”