Quotes of note from Foundation by Isaac Asimov:
(Page numbers gleaned from the March 1983 Ballantine mass-market paperback.)
"Religion is one of the great civilizing influences of history... ." (p. 106)
"You don't question a god." (p. 109)
"[Y]ou must expect to be bored, when you refuse to announce your identity." (p. 115)
"I have always believed in direct action. I have believed in carving a straight path to my objective and following that path." (p. 117)
"You might find it advisable ... to avoid certain subjects." (p. 117)
"[D]ifficulties vanish when faced boldly... ." (p. 117)
"The divine king himself may not maintain his kingship without the consent of the Spirit." (p. 124)
"[I]t is the chief characteristic of the religion of science that it works... ." (p. 125)
"A fire eater must eat fire even if her has to kindle it himself." (p. 131)
"The terms I use are at best mere approximations." (p. 132)
"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right!" (p. 137)
"I am in the hands of the Galactic Spirit and walk cheerfully in the way he points out." (p. 139)
"Death ... is so absolute and irrevocable a phenomenon that certainly there must be some alternative." (p. 142)
"A trader has to know a little of everything." (p. 143)
"A rose can grow from the mud... ." (p. 149)
"As a general rule, politicians start shouting '... Crisis' at every ... campaign." (p. 161)
"Any fool can tell a crisis when it arrives. The real service to the state is to detect it in embryo." (p. 166)
"To succeed, planning is insufficient. One must improvise as well." (pp. 169-170)
"[N]o trader would hit space if he couldn't pick his own crew." (p. 170)
"Thou shalt not stand idly by to the hurt of thy fellowman. ... Even as thou dealest with the humble and defenseless, thus shalt thou be dealth with." (p. 176)
"Cursed be the traitor who abandons his fellowman to evil and to death. Deafened be the ears that are deaf to the pleadings of the helpless. Blind be the eyes that are blind to innocence. Blackened forever be the soul that consorts with blackness... ." (p. 177)
"The true wealth is the love of one's people." (p. 182)
"Fighting and scars are part of a trader's overhead. But fighting is only useful when there's money at the end, and if I can get it without, so much the sweeter." (p. 196)
"Memories sting when they come suddenly." (p. 197)
"It's out of fashion in these decaying times to be a scholar." (p. 199)
"The less you speak, the less suspicion you will draw upon yourself." (p. 201)
"Eternity is a long time." (p. 206)
"[A]ny dogma, primarily based on faith and emotionalism, is a dangerous weapon to use on others, since it is almost impossible to guarantee that the weapon will never be turned on the user." (p. 213)
"Custom is higher than law, at times." (p. 214)
"A known enemy is relatively safe." (p. 218)
"People endure a good deal in war." (p. 231)
"What business of mine is the future?" (p. 235)
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