“It is surprising how long it takes to do a simple addition when your life depends on the answer.”

—  Arthur C. Clarke , book Breaking Strain

Breaking Strain, p. 172
2000s and posthumous publications, The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke (2001)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Sept. 14, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "It is surprising how long it takes to do a simple addition when your life depends on the answer." by Arthur C. Clarke?
Arthur C. Clarke photo
Arthur C. Clarke 207
British science fiction writer, science writer, inventor, u… 1917–2008

Related quotes

Jim Butcher photo

“She studied my face for a long minute. "Are you going to help my mom?" It was a simple question. But how do you tell a child that things just aren't that simple, that some questions don't have simple answers--or any answer at all?”

Jim Butcher book Storm Front

Source: Storm Front

Montesquieu photo

“The success of most things depends upon knowing how long it will take to succeed.”

Montesquieu (1689–1755) French social commentator and political thinker

Le succès de la plupart des choses dépend de savoir combien il faut de temps pour réussir.
Pensées Diverses

Jorge Luis Borges photo

“It is known that Whistler when asked how long it took him to paint one of his "nocturnes" answered: "All of my life."”

Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, and a key figure in Spanish language literature

With the same rigor he could have said that all of the centuries that preceded the moment when he painted were necessary. From that correct application of the law of causality it follows that the slightest event presupposes the inconceivable universe and, conversely, that the universe needs even the slightest of events.
"Gauchesque Poetry"
Discussion (1932)

Paulo Coelho photo

“Life can seem short or life can seem long, depending on how you live it.”

Paulo Coelho book The Devil and Miss Prym

Source: The Devil and Miss Prym

E.E. Cummings photo

“Why do you paint?
For exactly the same reason I breathe.
That’s not an answer.
There isn’t any answer.
How long hasn’t there been any answer?
As long as I can remember.
And how long have you written?
As long as I can remember.
I mean poetry.
So do I.”

E.E. Cummings (1894–1962) American poet

"Forward to an Exhibit: II" (1945)

David Allen photo

“A big surprise is coming toward you. How clear do you want to be about all your current commitments, when it hits?”

David Allen (1945) American productivity consultant and author

19 October 2009 https://twitter.com/gtdguy/status/4977274727
Official Twitter profile (@gtdguy) https://twitter.com/gtdguy

Daniel J. Bernstein photo

“Of course, the test difficulty depends on what you're doing, and on how you're doing it. I'm constantly asking "How much would I have to screw this up to write an incorrect function that passes these simple tests?" Occasionally the answer is "Not much," so I'll throw the code away and start over. It was probably perfect code, but that's not good enough.”

Daniel J. Bernstein (1971) American mathematician, cryptologist and programmer

http://groups-beta.google.com/groups?selm=slrncvp1eg.170p.usenet@stoneport.math.uic.edu
On testing

Newton Lee photo

“World peace is as simple and elegant as E=mc2. Peace is not a mystery. We know what peace is. The questions are: How do we get there? How long does it take to get there? Do we need another Einstein to help figure this out?”

Newton Lee American computer scientist

Counterterrorism and Cybersecurity: Total Information Awareness (2nd Edition), 2015

Albert Einstein photo

“When the solution is simple, God is answering.”

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity

Related topics