Greg Bear Quotes

10. “The train’s late. Fascists are supposed to make them run on time,” Diane said, still tapping her boot.
“They never did on earth,” I said.
“You mean it’s a myth?”
I nodded.
“So fascists aren’t good for anything?” Diane asked.
“Uniforms,” I said.
“Ours don’t even have good uniforms.”

7. “We’d like to agree with you.” He glanced at Arthur.
“We can’t, however,” Arthur said.
“For the moment, then, amicable disagreement and open minds.”

We have arisen as the result of purely natural processes; one of the great achievements of modern science has been the elimination of God or others teleologisms him as a necessity from our explanations.

Can’t own a woman, Mike. Wonderful companions, can’t own them.

2. “We must know our enemy, at least a little.”
“That’s dangerous,” Prufrax said, almost instinctively.
“Yes, it is. What you know, you cannot hate.”

Alienation without must be accompanied by alienation within; that is the law for every social level, even individuals. To harm one’s fellows, even one’s enemies, harms you, takes away some essential element from your self-respect and self-image.

We are born in ignorance, we die in ignorance, but maybe sometimes we learn something important and pass it along to others before we die. Or we write it down in a little book.

Here was a creed without a coherent philosophy—a system without a sensible metaphysic. Here was puerile hypothesis and even outright fantasy masquerading as revealed the truth.

You deserve whoever governs you … Everyone is responsible for the actions of their leaders.

8. “It’s not impossible,” Minelli said.
“No,” Edward admitted, “but it’s paranoid as hell, and that’s the last thing we need, more fear.”

I sometimes think we deserve to die, we’re all so goddamned stupid.

What he liked he despised for being likable.

Eccentricity is more than affectation to a poet. It’s a necessity.

6. “That’s insane,” Lanier said.
“No very. It’s politics.”

My level of skepticism rose enormously; I’ve always bristled when people ask for, much less demand, trust.