Top 15 Greg Bear Quotes

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.

The Republic, despite the best efforts of the surviving government, was quickly being replaced by something worse than anarchy—passionate mob rule, directed by untutored but skilled opportunists.

All states resort to force in the end.

The future seemed not just dangerous, not just bleak; it seemed incomprehensible.

The universe stores the results of its operations as nature. I do not confuse nature with reality. At a fundamental level, reality is the set of rules the results of whose interactions are nature. Part of the problem of reconciling quantum mechanics with larger-scale phenomena comes from mistaking results for rules—they have been built into our brains, good for survival, but not for physics.

Institutions, like any organism, hate to die.

Populists believed the people should dictate their needs to any individual who rose above the herd, and bring them low again—except of course for the leaders of whatever populist government took power, who, as political messiahs, would earn specific privileges themselves.

With a little ceremony, and not much in the way of clothing left to remove, we celebrated still being alive.

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

Why does our sense of individuality prevent us from correcting our weaknesses?

Equal in law is not equal in nature.

11. “Nobody’s ever satisfied with what they have?”
“Not in human experience; not at the level of governments, nations, or planets.”

The slogan of those who advocated therapy was, “A sane society is a polite society.”

That was the myth and I admit I found it attractive. I still do. It’s been said that a romantic is someone who never accepts the evidence of her eyes and ears.

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.”