161 quotes
He was a professional trouble-shooter. That was a fancy name for an idiot.
Convergence (1997)
Theories were a dime a dozen. The partition that separated science and wishful thinking was evidence: observations and firm facts.
Convergence (1997)
War was senseless. And yet war came creeping steadily closer.
Proteus Unbound (1989)
Darya stood up, heard her voice rising, and knew she was doing what she insisted what a scientist should never do: allowing passion and the defense of personal theories to interfere with logical analysis.
Transcendence (1992)
The leaders of the Legion of Argos were out-of-this-world mad. Rigid in outlook, intolerant of minor differences. In other centuries they would have led the Inquisition, tortured the heretics, burned the witches.
Aftermath (1998)
“We’re just too nosy, Commander,” he went on. “Most humans have their patience level set a little too low, and their curiosity a bit too high.”
Summertide (1990)
As you will one day discover, a leader is not a leader because of the way that he or she behaves. He is a leader only because of the way that he is treated by others.
Resurgence (2002)
He had achieved his objective, but his little inside voice would not keep quiet. Too easy, it said, much too easy. When a difficult goal is achieved with no effort, it’s time to be suspicious.
Proteus Unbound (1989)
Maybe Redman meant well when he set up the church, but you can never create a good society based on deception. It’s been tried before, and it always fails. The trouble is, people won’t learn from history.
Vectors (1979)
“How did you do that?”
The Hymenopt inclined her head. “With respect, Professor Lang, great intellectual power, even at the level you possess it, is not always a substitute for humble practical experience.”
Convergence (1997)
It was improbable for him to meet his old friends here? Fine, so it was improbable; but it had happened. “Improbable” was something you could only apply to future events.
The Spheres of Heaven (2001)
See, everybody looks at the world from his own point of view. I call it the ground state of the resting mind. And your brain does the same thing, left alone it returns to and thinks about what it’s really interested in.
Proteus In The Underworld (1995)
That’s what logic says. But I say, phooey, who wants logic? Not you, and not me. We want results.
Summertide (1990)
Everyone was polite; no one was happy.
Summertide (1990)
If you wanted to get yourself killed, there was no better way than to think you knew all the tricks. It took experience to make you realize that the universe could always pull another one out of the bag and throw it at you.
Resurgence (2002)
Humans harnessed a negligible fraction of tidal energy, although the available energy is huge. Other species do rather better, and the intertidal zones are the most biologically productive regions of the world, more so than even the tropical rainforests.
Dancing with Myself (1993)
The superior strain of peas is the one whose genetic composition allows it to adapt to whatever environment it is presented with. People are not peas, but in one respect they are not very different from them: some have superior genetic composition to others.
Dancing with Myself (1993)
The lead prosecutor told the jury at my trial that I was “A sick parasite, preying on society.”
Parasite on society; this, mind you, from a lawyer.
Aftermath (1998)
“I wonder why somebody would go to all that trouble to make a complete fool of himself.”
“Come on, Gina, we both know why.”
“Oh, I guess you’re right. Money will always do it.”
Of course.
Sight of Proteus (1978)
Somehow he felt more resigned than surprised. Things had been going far too well for far too long. Just when you thought you had the universe by the tail, it turned round and bit you on the ass.
Resurgence (2002)