John Twelve Hawks Quotes

Life is dangerous. That's what makes it interesting.

Half the things you've been taught in school are just convenient fictions. History is a puppet show for childish minds.

One of the pleasures of writing novels is that my characters usually do something. But in real life we often stay locked in a situation that we know is painful or wrong.

In reality, the universe is neutral about our existence. Only dogs care.

I hate zoos," she told Gabriel. "They remind me of prisons."
"People like to see animals."
"Citizens want to kill wild creatures or put them into cages. It helps them forget that they're also prisoners.

Love is just another means of manipulation. We can use that emotion like we use hatred and fear.

Most people go through life never knowing the truth about the major events of their time. They're watching a farce performed at the edge of the stage while the real drama is going on behind the curtain.

Almost every important choice in our lives is really just an expression of hope.

What happens in our future can change the meaning of what has happened in our past.

You need to study history, Doctor. All great changes are based on pain and destruction.

It's all just fear and distraction. Fear will get people into our Virtual Panopticon and then we'll keep them happy. People will be free to take antidepressant drugs, go into debt, and stare at their television sets. Society might seem disorganized, but it will be very stable. Every few years we'll pick a different mannequin to give speeches from the White House Rose Garden.

Believing that the government knows what's best is an argument that barely merits a serious discussion. Any high school history student can come up with hundreds of examples of when a king, dictator, or elected official followed a destructive, foolish policy. Democracy doesn't protect our leaders from having a limited, parochial vision. A politician's true priority is career self-preservation.

The Turing Test tried to make a distinction between humans and machines. But these days Shadow programs like Edward and Laura can be programmed to say "I love you" or imitate other emotions. If a machine wanted to act like a human, then it had to deny the truth. Lying, not love, is the fundamental indication of humanity.

No machine can daydream. When they’re not switched on, they’re as cold as a toaster in a midnight kitchen.

Our sense of powerlessness—the belief that an ordinary person does not matter—has twisted our lips into a sneer.