Works
A Fire Upon the Deep (1st edition)
Vernor Vinge
A Deepness in the Sky
Vernor Vinge
Rainbows End
Vernor Vinge
Vernor Vinge:
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Famous Vernor Vinge Quotes
“Sometimes the biggest disasters aren’t noticed at all—no one’s around to write horror stories.”
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 33 (p. 443).
““I have come to kill you.”
The death’s heads shrugged. “You have come to try.””
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 39 (p. 555).
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 31 (p. 373).
Vernor Vinge Quotes about nature
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 32 (p. 397).
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 35 (pp. 483-484).
The Coming Technological Singularity (1993)
Vernor Vinge Quotes
“Even the largest avalanche is triggered by small things.”
The Coming Technological Singularity (1993)
Context: I have argued above that we cannot prevent the Singularity, that its coming is an inevitable consequence of the humans' natural competitiveness and the possibilities inherent in technology. And yet … we are the initiators. Even the largest avalanche is triggered by small things. We have the freedom to establish initial conditions, make things happen in ways that are less inimical than others. Of course (as with starting avalanches), it may not be clear what the right guiding nudge really is...
“And now each second was as long as all the time before.”
Prologue (p. 4).
A Fire Upon the Deep (1992)
Context: The hours came to minutes, the minutes to seconds. And now each second was as long as all the time before.
“How to explain? How to describe? Even the omniscient viewpoint quails.”
Prologue (p. 1; opening words).
A Fire Upon the Deep (1992)
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 18 (p. 226).
“We realize that this means the destruction of solar systems, but consider the alternative.”
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 14 (p. 161).
Context: If during the last thousand seconds you have received any High-Beyond-protocol packets from "Arbitration Arts," discard them at once. If they have been processed, then the processing site and all locally netted sites must be physically destroyed at once. We realize that this means the destruction of solar systems, but consider the alternative. You are under Transcendent attack.
“If there be only hours, at least learn what there is time to learn.”
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 41 (p. 580).
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 33 (p. 428).
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), p. 245.
“Well, what do you know," Pham said. "Butterflies in jackboots.”
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 26 (p. 318).
“"Poor humans; they will all die."
"Poor us; we will not."”
Prologue (p. 2).
A Fire Upon the Deep (1992)
“He was guided by what he saw rather than by what he wanted to believe.”
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 11 (p. 109).
The Coming Technological Singularity (1993)
Epilogs (p. 595).
A Fire Upon the Deep (1992)
“Life is a green madness just now, trying to squeeze the last bit of warmth from the season.”
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 12 (p. 119).
“The heart of manipulation is to empathize without being touched.”
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 37 (p. 519).
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 14 (p. 145).
“It was not called the Net of a Million Lies for nothing.”
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 18 (p. 228).
“The voice was gentle, like a scalpel petting the short hairs of your throat.”
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 5 (p. 51).
“The acceleration of technological progress has been the central feature of this century.”
The Coming Technological Singularity (1993)
“I say, let’s learn more and then speculate.”
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 12 (p. 122).
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 2 (p. 18).
“Politics may come and go, but Greed goes on forever.”
Source: A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), Chapter 7 (p. 68) (motto of the Qeng Ho trading group).
The Coming Technological Singularity (1993)
A Deepness in the Sky (1999)
