115 quotes
I have noted, too, that when it comes to matters of security the laws are considerably relaxed.
Jack of Shadows (1971)
Her thirtieth birthday, like a huge black cloud, filled an April but four months distant.
The Dream Master (1966)
I decided that the devil finds work for idle hands and thanked him for his suggestion.
Unicorn Variations (1983)
But while pleasure and pain are rooted in biology, they are conditioned by society: thus are values to be derived.
The Dream Master (1966)
The absence of a monument can, in its own way, be something of a monument also.
This Immortal (1966)
Some are born to obscurity and others only achieve it through diligent effort.
The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth, and Other Stories (1971)
The function of criticism should not be confused with the function of reform.
Unicorn Variations (1983)
Be warned, therefore, that one does not go to hell to light a cigarette.
This Immortal (1966)
We revisit the mental landscape of childhood in times of trouble.
Frost & Fire (1989)
“Do you think they’re really people?”
“Naw, they’re too good.”
The Dream Master (1966)
Of the three basic elements of any fiction—plot, character, and setting—it is the setting that requires extra attention in science fiction and fantasy.
Frost & Fire (1989)
Robots are nice to work with. They mind their own business, and they never have anything to say.
Unicorn Variations (1983)
Never trust a cat, anyway. All they’re good for is stringing tennis racquets.
A Night in the Lonesome October (1993)
The garden of life never seems to confine itself to the plot philosophers have laid out for its convenience. Maybe a few more tractors would do the trick.
Unicorn Variations (1983)
I wasn’t disappointed, inasmuch as I expected nothing.
This Immortal (1966)
I have many names, and none of them matter.
Lord of Light (1967)
But love can mean many things. It can be an instrument of aggression or a function of disease.
Frost & Fire (1989)
Oh, cynical monger of indulgences! ’Twould take a man of the cloth to work a scheme like that!
Creatures of Light and Darkness (1969)
The days that followed were a game I enjoyed playing. Fake indecision is delicious when people want you to do something.
The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth, and Other Stories (1971)
I've always been impulsive. My thinking is usually pretty good, but I always seem to do it after I do my talking—by which time I've generally destroyed all basis for further conversation.
This Immortal (1966)