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John Twelve Hawks Quotes

John Twelve Hawks is the author of the 2005 dystopian novel The Traveler and its sequels, The Dark River and The Golden City, collectively comprising the Fourth Realm Trilogy. The trilogy has been translated into 25 languages and has sold more than 1.5 million books. The trilogy was followed five years later by a fourth book, Spark, and a non-fiction eBook, Against Authority. "John Twelve Hawks" is a pseudonym and his real identity is unknown. Wikipedia  

Works

Spark
Spark
John Twelve Hawks
The Traveler
The Traveler
John Twelve Hawks
The Dark River
The Dark River
John Twelve Hawks
John Twelve Hawks: 62   quotes 0   likes

Famous John Twelve Hawks Quotes

“Every new experience is unusual. The rest of life is just sleep and committee meetings.”

John Twelve Hawks book The Traveler

Source: Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

“If privacy had a gravestone it might read: “Don't Worry. This Was for Your Own Good.””

John Twelve Hawks book The Dark River

Source: Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Dark River (2007)

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

John Twelve Hawks book The Traveler

Source: Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

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

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

John Twelve Hawks Quotes about people

“One cliché endlessly offered up by the people supporting government surveillance is that there needs to be a “trade-off” between security and privacy. But this is a trade that goes only one way. It’s clear that we’ve lost control over what personal information is public and what we prefer to keep private. The new reality is that they see us, but we can’t see them.”

John Twelve Hawks

Against Authority: Freedom and the Rise of Surveillance States (2014)

“True freedom is tolerant. It gives people the right to live and think in new ways.”

John Twelve Hawks

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

“QUESTION: Is there a reason for the pen name? One you’d be willing to share, I suppose. As in, is it because you’re actually a secret CIA agent and/or Russian spy, or merely because you don’t ever want your mother knowing what you’ve written?
JTH: My mother and the rest of my family don’t know that I have written the novels. Those people I know who aren’t close friends see me as a failure by the American standards of success. Being a “failure” in such a way has been a continual lesson. It’s helped me realize that we make quick judgments of others based on little real information. We assume so much – but don’t know the secrets held within the heart.”

John Twelve Hawks

From Interviews

“When a person speculates about my identity, it reveals something about their own background and preferences. If the canvas is blank; the only thing people can see on its surface is themselves.”

John Twelve Hawks

From Interviews

“Many of our leaders have gone past the old-fashioned politics of the democratic era and entered into the politics of fear. People running for national office no longer emphasize their views about the economy or social change. The leading political question of our time has become: who can ease our nightmares?”

John Twelve Hawks

How We Live Now (2005)

“All the news stories were telling me to be frightened. All the commercials were telling me to buy things I didn´t need. The message was that people could only be passive victims or consumers.”

John Twelve Hawks

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

John Twelve Hawks Quotes about fear

“We drink our morning coffee with a drop of fear.”

John Twelve Hawks

How We Live Now (2005)

“All of us fight a battle every day, but we just don’t know it. Love tries to defeat hatred. Bravery destroys fear.”

John Twelve Hawks

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

“Fear requires a desire to exist in the future.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

“True ideology has vanished, replaced by fear and fantasy. The right wing wants corporate control and a return to a past that never existed. The left wing wants government control and a future that will never exist.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)
Context: True ideology has vanished, replaced by fear and fantasy. The right wing wants corporate control and a return to a past that never existed. The left wing wants government control and a future that will never exist. Both groups lose sight of the essential questions: how can the individual speak and think and create freely? New ideas are the only evolutionary force that will save us from destruction.

“In Orwell’s 1984, all Party members must assemble for a “Two Minutes Hate” session where they watch a propaganda film showing the Party’s enemies. The establishment of the Virtual Panopticon insures that these group meetings aren’t necessary. Those in power now have the resources to deliver a political message tailored to the specific fears of the individual citizen. Yes, we’ll still have political rallies and conventions, but these will be empty gestures retained from the past.”

John Twelve Hawks

Against Authority: Freedom and the Rise of Surveillance States (2014)

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

John Twelve Hawks book The Traveler

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

John Twelve Hawks: Trending quotes

“Our problem is not machines acting like humans -- it’s humans acting like machines.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)
Context: Artificial intelligence is a concept that obscures accountability. Our problem is not machines acting like humans -- it’s humans acting like machines.

Problem

“Modern authority is based on a system of lies that are accepted by the general population.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)
Context: Modern authority is based on a system of lies that are accepted by the general population. If you pull away the curtain and show the reality of power, people are motivated to question the fictions that govern their own lives.

“Any monitoring system that is invisible, pervasive, automatic, and permanent gives those in power the means to create a modern surveillance state.”

John Twelve Hawks

Against Authority: Freedom and the Rise of Surveillance States (2014)
Context: Any monitoring system that is invisible, pervasive, automatic, and permanent gives those in power the means to create a modern surveillance state. And these new states will have an authority that has detached itself from ethics and ideology. Politicians and dictators will continue to make speeches, but their words will become meaningless. This new system will see and know us. It will even predict our future behavior.

John Twelve Hawks Quotes

“New ideas are the only evolutionary force that will save us from destruction.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)
Context: True ideology has vanished, replaced by fear and fantasy. The right wing wants corporate control and a return to a past that never existed. The left wing wants government control and a future that will never exist. Both groups lose sight of the essential questions: how can the individual speak and think and create freely? New ideas are the only evolutionary force that will save us from destruction.

Idea

“Focusing on a writer’s life undermines the power of that writer’s ideas.”

John Twelve Hawks

From Interviews
Context: These days, I live on the grid – primarily because of medical issues. But I think that it would be hypocritical for a writer to condemn our surveillance culture and then appear on the Charlie Rose show to blather about personal details. Focusing on a writer’s life undermines the power of that writer’s ideas.

Life , Idea

“Human beings have an almost unlimited capacity for self-delusion. We can justify any amount of sadness if it fits our own particular standard of reality.”

John Twelve Hawks

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

Sadness , Reality

“Machines, no matter how sophisticated, can only follow programs. If we sleepwalk through our lives, then we’re no better than machines. Only humans are capable of a job done well -- which means thinking about the consequences of our actions. A job done well pays the bills, but it also improves the lives of everyone around us.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Thinking

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

John Twelve Hawks

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Golden City (2009)

Hope

“Identity is not taste or fashion; it has nothing to do with what we’ve purchased in the past or want to buy in the future. Identity comes from making real choices that force you to decide what is true, fair, and just. Identity is not given to you; it’s earned by your life experiences.”

John Twelve Hawks

Against Authority: Freedom and the Rise of Surveillance States (2014)

Life , Fashion , Past , Future

“Her face kept changing and that bothered me as well. Why were human beings so unstable? The door and the curtains and the supply cabinet didn't continually change their appearance.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Appearance , Change

“Mrs. Driscoll clapped her hands together and the bracelets jingled brightly. "Yes, Mr. Morgan! The theater can heal a wounded spirit and broken heart! I've seen it countless times. When we are completely artificial, we can find out what's real."”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Time , Heart

“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.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Love , Truth , Lying

“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.”

John Twelve Hawks

How We Live Now (2005)

School , Democracy , History

“Both dogs and humans know when we’ve been caged.”

John Twelve Hawks

Against Authority: Freedom and the Rise of Surveillance States (2014)

Dogs

“A Vast Machine watched and evaluated them, remembering their past actions and predicting their future behavior.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Behavior , Past , Future

“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.”

John Twelve Hawks

Against Authority: Freedom and the Rise of Surveillance States (2014)

Life , Pain , Pleasure

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

John Twelve Hawks

How We Live Now (2005)

Sense , Personality

“Children defer to adults because they’re older, bigger and stronger. But it’s also because children believe that adults have reasons for what they do. There was nothing magical about the Pied Piper of Hamelin’s flute. The Piper acted like he knew where he was going and the children followed him into the dark mountains where they were never seen again.”

John Twelve Hawks

Against Authority: Freedom and the Rise of Surveillance States (2014)

Children , Mountain

“You don't need to watch everyone if everyone believes they're being watched.”

John Twelve Hawks

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

“Many physicists these days sound like the Delphic oracle - with equations.”

John Twelve Hawks

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Dark River (2007)

“Gradually, I realized that the surveillance cameras plus the email and cell phone monitoring was creating a Virtual Panopticon – a digital prison created and maintained by computer networks that enclosed all of us within its invisible walls.”

John Twelve Hawks

Against Authority: Freedom and the Rise of Surveillance States (2014)

“All the doctors that have examined you state that you appear to have no friends or family relationships and you are incapable of any sort of empathy. In short…you’re perfect for this job.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Family , Appearance , Perfection

“At the training camp, I was told that doors always open for a man wearing a hard hat and carrying a clipboard.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Training

“Human beings are tool-making animals. Since the prehistoric era, we have created and used a wide variety of objects. But now a significant change is about to occur. In the near future, we will simply become another object that can be monitored, tracked and controlled within a vast machine.”

John Twelve Hawks

From Interviews

Change , Future , Animals

“When people decide that a certain way of faith is destined and inevitable, hatred and intolerance follow. Instead of saying, 'The Light is within you, choose the Light,' the message becomes 'Agree with our version of history or we'll kill you.”

John Twelve Hawks

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Golden City (2009)

People , Faith , Way , History

“The Grid exists even if you don't see the lines.”

John Twelve Hawks

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

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

John Twelve Hawks

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

School , History

“Most conscious thought is simply an attempt to claim ‘authorship’ for a choice that has already been made. Our thoughts are just an ongoing attempt to explain what we’ve already decided.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

“Political affiliation is not a relevant part of this decision; privacy and personal freedom should be fundamental right for everyone.”

John Twelve Hawks

How We Live Now (2005)

Decision , Freedom , Parting , Personality

“It took me years to realize that a computer would never truly be able to say cogito ego sum although dozens of lurid Hollywood movies about robots want to leave that impression. A computer thinks…. that is, it realizes it has been switched on…but it doesn't know it exists.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Thinking

“Bland is the truest expression of an advanced civilization. It took a great deal of money to create this pocket of cool, calm bland among the rickshaw men and the beggar children tapping on the car windows.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Men , Money , Children , Cars

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

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

“The warrior uses the power of the brain to be deliberate and the power of the heart to be instinctive.”

John Twelve Hawks

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

Heart

“The first icon of the 21st Century is the closed-circuit surveillance camera, slowly panning back and forth as we move beneath its gaze.”

John Twelve Hawks

How We Live Now (2005)

“Virtue is admirable, but boring.”

John Twelve Hawks

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

“There was no need to worry about religion or philosophy; the truth was determined by whoever was in power.”

John Twelve Hawks book The Traveler

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

Truth , Religion

“Peace and prosperity were possible only if people stopped asking new questions and accepted the available answers.”

John Twelve Hawks book The Traveler

Source: Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005), Ch. 2

Peace , Question , People

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

John Twelve Hawks book The Traveler

Source: Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005), Ch. 35

Pain , Study , History , Change

“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.”

John Twelve Hawks book The Traveler

Source: Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005), Ch. 31

People , Truth , Life , Time

“Freedom is the biggest myth ever created. It's a destructive, unachievable goal that has caused a great deal of pain. Very few people can handle freedom. A society is healthy and productive when it's under control.”

John Twelve Hawks book The Traveler

Source: Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005), Ch. 30

Pain , Freedom , People

“The urge to control others is very strong, but the desire for freedom and the ability to show compassion will always survive. Darkness is everywhere, but the Light still appears.”

John Twelve Hawks book The Traveler

Source: Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005), Ch. 26

Freedom , Light , Strong , Appearance

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