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Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov Quotes

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Famous Isaac Asimov Quotes

“I am not responsible for what other people think. I am responsible only for what I myself think, and I know what that is. No idea I've ever come up with has ever struck me as a divine revelation. Nothing I have ever observed leads me to think there is a God watching over me.”

PeopleThinkingKnowsIdeasFearAtheismDivineResponsibleCome UpRageNo IdeaRevelationsLeading MeDivine Revelation
Book:Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
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“The fundamentalists deny that evolution has taken place; they deny that the earth and the universe as a whole are more than a few thousand years old, and so on. There is ample scientific evidence that the fundamentalists are wrong in these matters, and that their notions of cosmogony have about as much basis in fact as the Tooth Fairy has.”

YearsMatterWholeFactsEarthUniverseTakenEvolutionThousandEvidenceBasesNotionDenyTeethFairyThousand YearsTooth FairyScientific Evidence
Book:Asimov on science: a 30-year retrospective
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“Once, when a religionist denounced me in unmeasured terms, I sent him a card saying, "I am sure you believe that I will go to hell when I die, and that once there I will suffer all the pains and tortures the sadistic ingenuity of your deity can devise and that this torture will continue forever. Isn't that enough for you? Do you have to call me bad names in addition?"”

BelieveEnoughPainSufferingDiesNamesTermHellForeverCardsTortureCall MeDeitiesIngenuityGo To HellSadistic
Book:I, Asimov: A Memoir
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“I made up my mind long ago to follow one cardinal rule in all my writing-to be clear. I have given up all thought of writing poetically or symbolically or experimentally, or in any of the other modes that might (if I were good enough) get me a Pulitzer prize. I would write merely clearly and in this way establish a warm relationship between myself and my readers, and the professional critics-Well, they can do whatever they wish.”

IfsWayWritingMindWellsLongMadeEnoughMightGivenWishCan DoClearReaderCriticsWarmPrizeGood EnoughLong AgoGiven UpCardinalsCardinal Rules
Author:Isaac Asimov
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“Congratulations on the new library, because it isn't just a library. It is a space ship that will take you to the farthest reaches of the Universe, a time machine that will take you to the far past and the far future, a teacher that knows more than any human being, a friend that will amuse you and console you-and most of all, a gateway, to a better and happier and more useful life.”

KnowsWritingHumansPastUniverseHuman BeingsSpaceTeacherMachinesLibraryShipsCongratulationsConsoleGatewaysTime MachineUseful Life
Author:Isaac Asimov
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“People are entirely too disbelieving of coincidence. They are far too ready to dismiss it and to build arcane structures of extremely rickety substance in order to avoid it. I, on the other hand, see coincidence everywhere as an inevitable consequence of the laws of probability, according to which having no unusual coincidence is far more unusual than any coincidence could possibly be.”

PeopleHandsLawScienceOrderReadyConsequenceStructureInevitableSubstanceUnusualCoincidenceProbabilityArcane
Book:The planet that wasn't
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“The energy requirements for interstellar travel are so great that it is inconceivable to me that any creatures piloting their ships across the vast depths of space would do so only in order to play games with us over a period of decades. If they want to make contact, they would make contact; if not, they would save their energy and go elsewhere.”

IfsWantPlayOrderGamesEnergySpacePeriodsCreaturesDepthDecadesShipsContactElsewhereRequirementsUfoInterstellar
Book:The planet that wasn't
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“It is quite clear that as long as the nations of the world spend most of their energy, money, and emotional strength in quarreling with words and weapons, a true offensive against the common problems that threaten human survival is not very likely. A world government that can channel human efforts in the direction of the great solutions seems desirable, even essential. Naturally, such a world government should be a federal one, with regional and local autonomy safeguarded and with cultural diversity promoted.”

WorldShouldHumansLongProblemSeemsGovernmentLawEnergyNationsCommonEffortClearEmotionalEssentialsDiversityWeaponsSurvivalSolutionsLocalsOffensiveDesirableAutonomyWorld GovernmentCultural DiversityEmotional Strength
Author:Isaac Asimov
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“Why continue? Because we must. Because we have the call. Because it is nobler to fight for rationality without winning than to give up in the face of continued defeats. Because whatever true progress humanity makes is through the rationality of the occasional individual and because any one individual we may win for the cause may do more for humanity than a hundred thousand who hug their superstitions to their breast.”

GivingMayFacesHumanityFightingWinningIndividualCausesProgressAtheismThousandGiving UpHundredDefeatBreastsHumanistSuperstitionsHugRationalityOccasional
Author:Isaac Asimov
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“It is no defense of superstition and pseudoscience to say that it brings solace and comfort to people. . . . If solace and comfort are how we judge the worth of something, then consider that tobacco brings solace and comfort to smokers; alcohol brings it to drinkers; drugs of all kinds bring it to addicts; the fall of cards and the run of horses bring it to gamblers; cruelty and violence bring it to sociopaths. Judge by solace and comfort only and there is no behavior we ought to interfere with.”

PeopleIfsKindRunningReligionFallViolenceJudgingOughtComfortDrugBehaviorHorseDefenseAlcoholCrueltyAll KindsCardsSuperstitionsInterfereAddictTobaccoSolaceSociopathDrinkersPseudoscienceSmokers
Author:Isaac Asimov
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“The peace and joy of the Christmas season was marred by a proclamation of a general strike of all the military forces of the world. Panic reigns in the hearts of all the patriots of every persuasion. Meanwhile, fears of universal disaster sank to an all-time low over the world.”

WorldHeartJoyForceFearPeaceMilitaryLowsSeasonsUniversalStrikesDisasterAll TimePanicPatriotReignPersuasionProclamationMilitary ForcePeace And JoyChristmas SeasonAll Time Low
Author:Isaac Asimov
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