Quotes from work
Dying Earth

Dying Earth is a fantasy series by the American author Jack Vance, comprising four books originally published from 1950 to 1984.


Jack Vance photo
Jack Vance photo
Jack Vance photo

“It had been suggested to her that the flaw lay not in the universe but in herself.”

Source: Dying Earth (1950-1984), The Dying Earth (1950), Chapter 3, "T'Sais"

Jack Vance photo

“A natural scientist, examining a single atom, might well be able to asseverate the structure and history of the entire universe!”

Bah!" muttered Hurtiancz. "By the same token, a sensible man need listen to but a single word in order to recognize the whole for egregious nonsense."
"Morreion", Ch. 8
Dying Earth (1950-1984), Rhialto the Marvellous (1984)

Jack Vance photo

“I was trained in the old tradition! We found our strength in the basic verities, to which you, as a patrician, must surely subscribe. Am I right in this?”

“Absolutely, and in all respects!” declared Cugel. “Recognizing, of course, that these fundamental verities vary from region to region, and even from person to person.”
Source: Dying Earth (1950-1984), Cugel's Saga (1983), Chapter 3, section 2, "Faucelme"