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Arthur C. Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke Quotes

Film writer

Arthur C. Clarke was a British science fiction author, writer, and science popularizer. Known for his science fiction novels and predictions about future technology, his most famous works include '2001: A Space Odyssey' and 'Rendezvous with Rama'. Clarke's science fiction novels are not only literarily valuable but also had a profound impact on science fiction films and television.

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Famous Arthur C. Clarke Quotes

“Since women are better at producing babies, presumably Nature has given men some talent to compensate. But for the moment I can't think of it.”

Thinking Men I Can Moments Given Talent Baby

Book:The Fountains of Paradise

Source: The Fountains of Paradise

“We seldom stop to think that we are still creatures of the sea, able to leave it only because, from birth to death, we wear the water-filled space suits of our skins.”

Thinking Stills Able Water Space Sea Birth Creatures Skins Filled Suits

Book:Voices from the Sky

Source: Voices from the Sky

“I'm surprised at some technological development, and the realization that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. I think the CD-ROM is the best example of that. The idea of having a whole symphony, or opera, or novel in a little piece of plastic is pretty amazing.”

Thinking Technology Novel Magic Realization Technological

Author:Arthur C. Clarke

“I don't think there are any secrets to writing in the - everybody has their own techniques. You must be widely read, that's one thing, because you have to resolve a tremendous amount of background information. Also, you should know what the competition is writing, just so you're not wasting your time doing the same thing. Unless you do it better, of course.”

Thinking Writing Secret Competition Resolve Wasting Your Time

Author:Arthur C. Clarke

“I don't think there is such a thing as as a real prophet. You can never predict the future. We know why now, of course; chaos theory, which I got very interested in, shows you can never predict the future.”

Thinking Real Chaos Prophet Chaos Theory

Author:Arthur C. Clarke

“Then he [The Star Child] waited, marshaling his thoughts and brooding over his still untested powers. For though he was master of the world, he was not quite sure what to do next. But he would think of something.”

Thinking World Children Stills Next Stars Masters Brooding

Author:Arthur C. Clarke

“There's no real objection to escapism, in the right places... We all want to escape occasionally. But science fiction is often very far from escapism, in fact you might say that science fiction is escape into reality... It's a fiction which does concern itself with real issues: the origin of man; our future. In fact I can't think of any form of literature which is more concerned with real issues, reality.”

Thinking Men Want Doe I Can Real Facts Reality Might Form Literature Fiction Issues Concern Concerned Science Fiction Our Future Right Place Escapism Objections Origin Of Man

Author:Arthur C. Clarke

“I don't pretend we have all the answers. But the questions are certainly worth thinking about.”

Thinking Writing Answers Questioning Questions And Answers

Author:Arthur C. Clarke

“I'm sure we would not have had men on the Moon if it had not been for Wells and Verne and the people who write about this and made people think about it. I'm rather proud of the fact that I know several astronauts who became astronauts through reading my books.”

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men Writing Wells Made Book Facts Reading Proud Moon Exploration Literacy Astronaut Book Reading

Author:Arthur C. Clarke

“Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering.”

Thinking Ideas Sometimes Science Universe Cases Cosmology Star Gazing Staggering

Author:Arthur C. Clarke

“I sometimes think that the universe is a machine designed for the perpetual astonishment of astronomers.”

Thinking Sometimes Universe Machines Perpetual Astonishment Astronomers

Author:Arthur C. Clarke

“I can never look now at the Milky Way without wondering from which of those banked clouds of stars the emissaries are coming. If you will pardon so commonplace a simile, we have set off the fire alarm and have nothing to do but to wait. I do not think we will have to wait for long.”

Ifs Thinking Way Looks Long I Can Stars Waiting Wonder Fire Clouds Simile Pardon Commonplace Alarms Milky Way

Book:Expedition to Earth

Source: Expedition to Earth

“I suspect that religion is a necessary evil in the childhood of our particular species. And that's one of the interesting things about contact with other intelligences: we could see what role, if any, religion plays in their development. I think that religion may be some random by-product of mammalian reproduction. If that's true, would non-mammalian aliens have a religion?”

Ifs Thinking May Play Evil Interesting Roles Childhood Particular Products Development Species Contact Aliens Suspects Interesting Things Reproduction Necessary Evil

Author:Arthur C. Clarke

“When I start on a book, I have been thinking about it and making occasional notes for some time... So I have lots of theme, locale, subjects and technical ideas... I don't worry about long periods of not doing anything. I know my subconscious is busy.”

Thinking Knows Long Has Beens Book Ideas Worry Subjects Periods Notes Busy Theme Subconscious Occasional

Author:Arthur C. Clarke

“I believe any malevolent supercivilisation would have rapidly self-destructed as we may be in the process of doing ourselves. If we do have contact, physical contact with aliens, I think it will be benign.”

Ifs Thinking Believe May Self I Believe Process Contact Aliens Programming Benign

Author:Arthur C. Clarke

“I think in the long run the money that s been put into the space program is one of the best investments this country has ever made . . .This is a downpayment on the future of mankind. It's as simple as that.”

Thinking Long Made Country Running Simple Space Mankind Program Investment Long Runs Apollo Star Gazing Best Investment Space Program Future Of Mankind

Author:Arthur C. Clarke

“Even if we never reach the stars by our own efforts, in the millions of years that lie ahead it is almost certain that the stars will come to us. Isolationism is neither a practical policy on the national or cosmic scale. And when the first contact with the outer universe is made, one would like to think that Mankind played an active and not merely a passive role-that we were the discoverers, not the discovered.”

About the Author

Born: December 16, 1917
Died: March 19, 2008
Known for: Film writer
Quotes: 307

Related Topics

Men Space Science May Ifs Universe Science Fiction World Earth Long Mind Technology Thinking Stars Wells Has Beens Knows People Religion Stills

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

2001: A Space OdysseyRelated source material

Childhood’s EndRelated source material

2010: Odyssey TwoRelated source material

Rendezvous With RamaRelated source material

Profiles Of The FutureRelated source material

The Light of Other DaysRelated source material

3001: The Final OdysseyRelated source material

The City and the StarsRelated source material

Voices from the SkyRelated source material

2061: Odyssey ThreeRelated source material

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