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Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick Quotes

Novelist

Philip K. Dick was an American science fiction novelist known for his unique philosophical thinking and profound futuristic imagination. His works often explore the boundaries between individuals and society, reality and illusion, and have had a profound impact on science fiction literature.

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All Ifs World Knows Reality Men People Real Writing Mind Universe

Famous Philip K. Dick Quotes

“We do not have an ideal world, such as we would like, where morality is easy because cognition is easy. Where one can do right with no effort because he can detect the obvious.”

World Easy Can Do Effort Morality Ideals Obvious Cognition Ideal World

Book:The Man in the High Castle

Source: The Man in the High Castle

“You must beware of seeing malice behind accidental injury.”

Behinds Seeing Injury Malice

Author:Philip K. Dick

“You're killing yourself with cynicism. Your idols got taken away from you one by one and now you have nothing to give your love to.”

Giving Taken Killing Idols Cynicism Away From You Killing Yourself

Book:The Man in the High Castle

Source: The Man in the High Castle

“I, for one, bet on science as helping us. I have yet to see how it fundamentally endangers us, even with the H-bomb lurking about. Science has given us more lives than it has taken; we must remember that.”

Helping Remember Given Taken Bombs Lurking

Book:The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick: Selected Literary and Philosophical Writings

Source: The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick: Selected Literary and Philosophical Writings

“My major preoccupation is the question, 'What is reality?'”

Reality Majors Preoccupation

Author:Philip K. Dick

“We should take mothers in high seas and drown them there, they are as poisonous as lead in the air.”

Should Mother Air Sea Poisonous Lead In High Seas

Author:Philip K. Dick

“Many men talk like philosophers and live like fools.”

Men Fool Philosopher

Book:13 Short Stories

Source: 13 Short Stories

“Skill is a function of chance. It’s an intuitive best-use of chance situations.”

Use Chance Situation Skills Function Intuitive

Book:Solar Lottery

Source: Solar Lottery

“Men and the world are mutually toxic to each other.”

Men World Toxic

Book:The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick

Source: The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick

“What constitutes the authentic human being?”

Humans Human Beings

Author:Philip K. Dick

“Everything is true Everything anybody has ever thought”

Author:Philip K. Dick

“I think that, like in my writing, reality is always a soap bubble, Silly Putty thing anyway. In the universe people are in, people put their hands through the walls, and it turns out they're living in another century entirely. I often have the feeling — and it does show up in my books — that this is all just a stage.”

People Thinking Writing Doe Book Shows Feelings Hands Reality Turns Universe Century Stage Wall Silly Bubbles Soap Soap Bubbles

Author:Philip K. Dick

“In a society of criminals, the innocent man goes to jail.”

Men Politics Criminals Innocent Jail Innocent Man

Author:Philip K. Dick

“How can justice fall victim, ever, to what is right?”

Fall Justice Victim

Author:Philip K. Dick

“A child of today can detect a lie quicker than the wisest adult of two decades ago. When I want to know what is true, I ask my children.”

Knows Want Children Two Today Lying Asks Adults Decades My Children Wisest

Book:The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick: Selected Literary and Philosophical Writings

Source: The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick: Selected Literary and Philosophical Writings

“In a nutshell-I fear authority but at the same time I resent it-the authority and my own fear. So I rebel.”

My Own Authority Rebellion Rebel Resent

Book:Vintage PKD

Source: Vintage PKD

“Maybe each human being lives in a unique world, a private world, a world different from those inhabited and experienced by all other humans.”

World Humans Different Human Beings Solitude Unique

Book:I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon

Source: I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon

“The wisest people are the clowns, like Harpo Marx, who would not speak. If I could have anything I want I would like God to listen to what Harpo was not saying, and understand why Harpo would not talk.”

People Ifs Want Wisdom Speak If I Could Clown Wisest

Book:Vintage PKD

Source: Vintage PKD

“I was twelve when I read my first sf magazine”

Firsts Science Fiction Magazines Twelve

Book:The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick: Selected Literary and Philosophical Writings

Source: The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick: Selected Literary and Philosophical Writings

“I want to write about people I love, and put them into a fictional world spun out of my own mind, not the world we actually have, because the world we actually have does not meet my standards. Okay, so I should revise my standards; I'm out of step. I should yield to reality. I have never yielded to reality. That's what SF is all about. If you wish to yield to reality, go read Philip Roth; read the New York literary establishment mainstream bestselling writers”

People Ifs World Want Should Writing Mind Doe Reality Wish My Own Steps New York Standards Okay Yield Establishment Mainstream Philip Spun Fictional Worlds

Book:Vintage PKD

Source: Vintage PKD

About the Author

Born: December 16, 1928
Died: March 2, 1982
Known for: Novelist
Quotes: 370

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Popular Topics

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Books & Sources

The Man in the High CastleRelated source material

A Scanner DarklyRelated source material

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?Related source material

ValisRelated source material

The VALIS TrilogyRelated source material

Flow My Tears, the Policeman SaidRelated source material

The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick: Selected Literary and Philosophical WritingsRelated source material

Vintage PKDRelated source material

Clans of the Alphane MoonRelated source material

The Transmigration of Timothy ArcherRelated source material

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