Quotes from book
Spark

Name: Spark
Author: John Twelve Hawks

John Twelve Hawks

Spark is John Twelve Hawks' fourth novel, published in 2014 in the United States and Great Britain. It is a stand-alone novel that does not use the characters or setting of Hawks' Fourth Realm Trilogy. Film rights for the book were sold to DreamWorks.

“In reality, the universe is neutral about our existence. Only dogs care.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

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

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

“All language – everything we say – is just an approximation of reality.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

“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)

“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)

“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)

“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)

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

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

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

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

“The laws of mathematics are stronger than the laws of man.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

“Lying, not love, is the fundamental indication of humanity.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (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)

“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)

“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)

“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)

“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)

“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)

“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.

“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.

“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.