David Brin: Trending quotes

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David Brin: 246 quotes3 likes

“Some smart moves were little more than nicely padded traps.”

Source: Glory Season (1993), Chapter 1 (p. 19)

“You can’t fight biology. Only push at the rules, here and there.”

Source: Glory Season (1993), Chapter 5 (p. 90)

“The worst mistake of first contact, made throughout history by individuals on both sides of every new encounter, has been the unfortunate habit of making assumptions. It often proved fatal.”

David Brin

A Contrarian Perspective on Altruism : The Dangers of First Contact (September 2002) http://www.setileague.org/iaaseti/brin.pdf, p. 22

“At her station in life, wisdom dictated keeping a low profile.
And yet…”

David Brin book Glory Season

Source: Glory Season (1993), Chapter 3 (p. 61)

“Naroin stopped, shook her head. “Take it from an experienced hand, child. It’s no good blamin’ yourself for what you couldn’t prevent. Not so long as you tried.”
Maia’s lips pressed together. That was exactly what she had been telling herself. From the look in Naroin’s eyes, it didn’t get much more believable as you got older.”

David Brin book Glory Season

Source: Glory Season (1993), Chapter 26 (p. 514)

“A sane being wished for peace and serenity, not to be the mortar in which the ingredients of destiny are finely ground.”

David Brin book The Uplift War

Source: The Uplift War (1987), Chapter 72 (p. 474)

“What kind of man takes a live bomb across the seas in order to blow up other people? People who have mothers and lovers and children, just like him?
Probably either a professional or a patriot, Alex thought. Or, worse, both.”

David Brin book Earth

Part IX (p. 524)
Earth (1990)

“All this talk of using tax policy to ‘assess social costs’…what a dumb idea. The only way to stop polluters is to put them against walls and shoot them.”

David Brin book Earth

Part VII (p. 327)
Earth (1990)

“It is senseless to proclaim that it’s evil to make generalizations about groups. 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. We have no right to pre-judge that a specific man can’t nurture, or a particular woman cannot fight.”

David Brin book Glory Season

Afterword (p. 562)
Glory Season (1993)

“They say survival is Nature’s only form of flattery.”

David Brin book Glory Season

Source: Glory Season (1993), Chapter 26 (p. 512)

“She closed her eyes. And while her intellect wouldn’t let her realize her deepest fear, that all this might soon be gone forever, nevertheless she stood there for a time and worshipped the only way a person like her could worship—in silence and solitude, under the temple of the sky.”

David Brin book Earth

Part VI (p. 307)
Earth (1990)

“There was that word quaint again. It seemed to refer patronizingly to anything simple or backward, from the viewpoint of a city-bred tourist.”

David Brin book Glory Season

Source: Glory Season (1993), Chapter 5 (p. 90)

“I’d rather be dead than so suspicious I can’t trust anybody.”

David Brin book Glory Season

Source: Glory Season (1993), Chapter 26 (p. 525)

““Huh,” Sepak thought, marveling how much one could learn by just sitting still and observing. It wasn’t a skill one learned in the frenetic pace of modern society.”

David Brin book Earth

Part IX (pp. 501-502)
Earth (1990)

““Where there is mind, there is always solution,” Keneenk taught. All problems contained the elements of their answer.”

David Brin book Startide Rising

Source: Startide Rising (1983), Chapter 34 (p. 183)

“The Union will awaken. It always has. We always will.”

David Brin

A rant about stupidity... and the coming civil war... (2009)

“Look at all the happiest, sanest people you've known, Nelson. Really listen to them. I bet you'll find they don’t fear a little inconsistency or uncertainty now and then. Oh, they try always to be true to their core beliefs, to achieve their goals and keep their promises. Still, they also avoid too much rigidity, forgiving the occasional contradiction and unexpected thought. They are content to be many.”

David Brin book Earth

Part XI (p. 630)
Earth (1990)

“How can we set up a system which encourages individuals to strive and excel, and yet which shows some compassion to the weak, and weeds out madmen and tyrants?”

David Brin book The Postman

Source: The Postman (1985), Section 3, “Cincinnatus”, Chapter 14 (p. 266)

““How did he get away with pushing a book like this? How is it anyone ever believed him?”
Gordon shrugged. “It was called ‘the Big Lie’ technique, Johnny. Just sound like you know what you’re talking about—as if you’re reciting facts. Talk very fast. Weave your lies into the shape of a conspiracy theory and repeat your assertions over and over again. Those who want an excuse to hate or blame—those with big but weak egos—will leap at a simple, neat explanation for the way the world is. Those types will never call you on the facts.””

David Brin book The Postman

Source: The Postman (1985), Section 3, “Cincinnatus”, Chapter 13 (p. 255)

“How far do we owe loyalty to our creators’ dream? When have we earned the right to dream for ourselves?”

David Brin book Glory Season

Source: Glory Season (1993), Chapter 24 (p. 442)