“Impossible; for how many people did you know who refracted your own light to you?”
Source: Fahrenheit 451
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Ray Bradbury 401
American writer 1920–2012Related quotes
Sun-Faced Buddha, Moon-Faced Buddha lecture at the Zen Mountain Center (17 August 1971) http://suzukiroshi.sfzc.org/archives/index.cgi/710817V.html
Context: Communication is — start by understanding — your own understanding about people. Even though you want them to understand you, you know, it is — unless you understand people, it is almost impossible. Don't you think so? Only when you understand people, they may understand you. So even though you do not say anything, if you understand people there is some communication.
Iowa Caucus Victory Speech, Delivered at the Iowa Democratic caucus on 3 January 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNZaq-YKCnE
2008
On being informed there were no legitimate DVD players for Linux after four years, in "Real Dialogue: The Tech interviews Jack Valenti" by Keith J. Winstein of The Tech (16 April 2004) http://www-tech.mit.edu/V124/N20/ValentiIntervie.20f.html
“How many people you know who can name every serial killer who ever existed in a row?”
2000s, Relapse (2009)
The Camelot Project interview (1996)
Context: When the legend is retold, it mirrors the reality of the time, and one can learn from studying how various authors have attempted to retell the story. I don't think we have an obligation to change it radically. I think that if we ever move too far from the basic story, we would lose something very precious. I don't, for instance, approve of fantasy that attempts to go back and rewrite the Middle Ages until it conforms to political correctness in the twentieth century. That removes all the benefit from reading the story. If you don't understand other people in their time and why they did what they did, then you don't understand your own past. And when you lose your past, you lose some potential for your own future.
