Category: Thought

We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.

Of all liars, the smoothest and most convincing is memory.

Harlan Ellison, The City on the Edge of Forever: The Original Teleplay.

It is manifest that, to banish bad sentiments born of oppression and insolence, it is necessary that laws be equal for everyone, and even for everyplace.

Destutt de Tracy, as quoted by Mme. Victor de Tracy, Death Notice on Destutt de Tracy (translated by Iris Hartman, 1852).

The two most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.

Harlan Ellison, Introduction to Blast Off : Rockets, Robots, Ray Guns, and Rarities from the Golden Age of Space Toys (2001) by S. Mark Young, Steve Duin, Mike Richardson, p. 6, who went on to say that it was often misquoted: “I don’t so much mind that they pirated it, but what does honk me off is that they never get it right. They render it dull and imbecile by phrasing it thus: ’The two most common things in the universe are…’ 
Not things, you insensate gobbets of ambulatory giraffe dung, elements! Elements is funny, things is imprecise and semi-guttural. Things! Geezus, when will the goyim learn they don’t know how to tell a joke.’

Government is a very great consumer, living not on its profits but on its revenues.

M. Destutt Tracy, Traité de la volonté, English translation titled A Treatise on Political Economy (Georgetown, D.C.: Joseph Milligan; W. A. Rind & Co. Printers, 1817).

Journalism possesses in itself the potentiality of becoming one of the most frightful monstrosities and delusions that have ever cursed mankind. This horrible transformation will occur at the exact instant at which journalists realise that they can become an aristocracy.

Gilbert K. Chesterton, “The New Priests” (1901).

The secret of getting along with people is that of postponing quarrels.

Murray Leinster, “Exploration Team” (1956), as it appeared in Isaac Asimov, editor, The Hugo Winners, Vol. 1, p. 115.

Civilization is to groups what intelligence is to individuals. It is a means of combining the intelligence of many to achieve ongoing group adaptation.

Octavia E. Butler, The Parable of the Sower (1993), Chapter 10.

Everything not forbidden is compulsory.

The slogan over the entrance to an ant colony in T. H. White’s The Sword in the Stone (1938), chapter 13.

Every one belongs to every one else.

Government slogan in Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel Brave New World (1932).