I felt astonishment this system's folk put up with such a monarch. The attractions of kingship are well documented, but sentimental indulgence can be… - David Brin

It’s hard to feel completely hopeless during that special moment when you first catch sight of dawn.

Generalization is a natural human mental process, and many generalizations are true — in average. What often does promote evil behavior is the lazy, nasty habit of believing that generalizations have anything at all to do with individuals.

Experts were already casting doubt on an old dream — interstellar empire. If organic beings like us ever managed to voyage between stars, it would be through prodigious, exhausting effort. A tenacious species here and there might colonize a few dozen worlds with biological descendants. Even perhaps a small corner of the Milky Way. But hardly enough to dent the Fermi Paradox. Most organics would stay home.