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"...People sometimes mistake their own shortcomings for those of society and want to fix [society] because they don't know how to fix themselves."
"Creationists make it sound as though a 'theory' is something you dreamt up after being drunk all night."
"I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them."
"Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today -- but the core of science fiction, its essence has become crucial to our salvation if we are to be saved at all."
"It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be. This, in turn, means that our statesmen, our businessmen, our every man must take on a science fictional way of thinking."
"It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety."
"Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome."
"Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right."
"Never let your sense of morals keep you from doing what is right."
"No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be. . .."
"Old people think young people haven't learned about love. Young people think old people have forgotten about love."
"If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them."
"I write for the same reason I breathe - because if I didn't, I would die."
"I'm not a speed reader. I'm a speed understander."
"One, a robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; Two, a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; Three, a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws."
"Part of the inhumanity of the computer is that, once it is competently programmed and working smoothly, it is completely honest."
"People say 'It's as plain as the nose on your face.' But how much of the nose on your face can you see, unless someone holds up a mirror for you?"
"People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do."
"Science can be introduced to children well or poorly. If poorly, children can be turned away from science; they can develop a lifelong antipathy; they will be in a far worse condition than if they had never been introduced to science at all."
"Science does not promise absolute truth, nor does it consider that such a thing necessarily exists. Science does not even promise that everything in the Universe is amenable to the scientific process."
"Science fiction writers foresee the inevitable, and although problems and catastrophes may be inevitable, solutions are not."
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That's funny ...'"
"The most hopelessly stupid man is he who is not aware that he is wise."
"The three fundamental Rules of Robotics...One: a robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm...Two:..a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law...Three: a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First and Second Laws."
"There is no belief, however foolish, that will not gather its faithful adherents who will defend it to the death."
"Violence is the diplomacy of the incompetent."
"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."
"When, however, the lay public rallies round an idea that is denounced by distinguished but elderly scientists and supports that idea with great fervor and emotion -- the distinguished but elderly scientists are then, after all, probably right."
"You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist."
"To surrender to ignorance and call it God has always been premature, and it remains premature today."
"Whenever I have endured or accomplished some difficult task -- such as watching television, going out socially or sleeping -- I always look forward to rewarding myself with the small pleasure of getting back to my typewriter and writing something."
"Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers."
"Education is not something you can finish."