Charles Sheffield

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.

But no one, no matter how intelligent, could make good inferences from bad data.

Maddy listened closely to John’s voice. It was calm, but with an odd undercurrent of excitement. She thought, That weirdo, he’s enjoying this. If I were a failing component, I’d get more of his attention than I do now. Engineers!

Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue.

Any other instructions?"
"Not without breaking one of my own golden rules. In an unpredictable situation, the man or woman on the spot should make the decisions, not the general sitting on his ass a million miles away from the action.

It had been designed for “peacekeeping,” which meant that it had been fitted out from stem to stern with the most hideous weapons of war that the human mind could conceive.

I sometimes think that the only thing in life that I find truly irresistible is the challenge to finagle something that everyone else says can’t be done.

Decisions based on incomplete information are one thing, a fact of political life. Decisions made with no information are another.

It sounds reasonable to me."
"Reasonable, but not true. Big difference.

Intelligence is too subtle an attribute to be inferred from appearance.

You pursue progress, even if you suspect that it is an illusion.

In any civilized society, it is the individual or group who creates a problem that must have responsibility for solving it.

D'you know what homeostasis is?"
"I used to, before I rotted my brain with politics.

It might be an impossible task, but at least it was a well-defined one. The rules for performance were no problem. He had learned them long ago on Teufel: you succeed, or you die trying. Until you succeed, you never relax. Until you die, you never give up.

Many plans featured that old standby, prayer. Its historical record of effectiveness apparently discouraged few people, although I, regrettably, am among the skeptics. All the churches were full. It is not clear to me exactly what prayers were being offered by their occupants. The temporary suspension, perhaps, of the laws of physics? The art galleries and theaters also reported record crowds. If religion is an opiate, art is an anodyne.