Kim Stanley Robinson Quotes

If enough data points trouble the theory, the theory may be wrong. If the theory is basic, the paradigm may have to change.

You conceive of science as nothing more than answers to questions?
As a system for generating answers.
And what is the purpose of that?
...To know.
And what will you do with your knowledge?
...Find out more.
But why?
I don’t know. It’s the way I am.

Nakedness was dangerous to the social order, she thought, because it revealed too much reality.

Anyone can agree that things should be fair, and the world just. The way to get there is always the real problem.

When she realized what she was doing she snorted in disgust, at herself and at the pervasiveness of politics—how it could infect everything if you let it.

Nadia shook her head, marveling at the capacity people had for ignoring what they had in common, and fighting bitterly over whatever small differences existed between them.

In the next meeting they were arguing about the limits to tolerance, the things that simply wouldn’t be allowed no matter what religious meaning anyone gave them, and someone shouted, “Tell that to the Muslims!”

We must not throw the baby socialism out with the Stalinist bathwater, or we lose many concepts of obvious fairness that we need.

Even if you want no state, or a minimal state, then you still have to argue it point by point. Especially since most minimalists want to keep exactly the economic and police system that keeps them privileged. That’s libertarians for you—anarchists who want police protection from their slaves.

Revolution has to be rethought. Look, even when revolutions have been successful, they have caused so much destruction and hatred that there is always some kind of horrible backlash. It’s inherent in the method. If you choose violence, then you create enemies who will resist you forever. And ruthless men become your revolutionary leaders, so when the war is over they’re in power, and likely to be as bad as what they replaced.

“Art is an optimist,” Nadia said to Maya as they walked on.
“Art is an idiot,” Maya replied.

What we need is equality without conformity.

“It’s the same old story,” he said bitterly. “The resistance begins fighting itself, because that’s the only thing it can beat. Happens every time. You can’t get any movement larger than five people without including at least one fucking idiot.”

One sign of a good action is that in retrospect it appears inevitable.

Rituals should have some unpleasantness, or you don’t appreciate them properly.