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Even as my conscious mind concluded that we were under fire, I threw myself on the ground and flatten into the lowest profile possible. You’ve heard the bromide about combat making life more real. I don’t know about that, but it’s certainly true that when you are flat against the ground with your face in the dirt, the whole universe looks different.

— Vernor Vinge The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge (2001)

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More quotes by Vernor Vinge

Quit crossing your fingers, Wim; the only thing that’ll ever save you from is the respect of educated men.

The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge (2001)

The hard facts are extraordinary, without adding superstitious mumbo-jumbo.

A Deepness in the Sky (1999)

Funny how the least attempt at deception always seems to make life more complicated.

A Deepness in the Sky (1999)

We realize that this means the destruction of solar systems, but consider the alternative.

A Fire Upon the Deep (1992)

Life is a green madness just now, trying to squeeze the last bit of warmth from the season.

A Fire Upon the Deep (1992)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Vernor Vinge (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.