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Small Gods

Book by Terry Pratchett · 18 quotes · Religion, God, Humor

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Small Gods Quotes

“Om sighed. ‘It’s reasonable, isn’t it? Think about it. The stronger ones hang around the edge, where there’s prey … I mean, people. The weak ones get pushed out to the sandy places, where people hardly ever go—’ ‘The strong gods,’ said Brutha, thoughtfully. ‘Gods that know about being strong.’ ‘That’s right.’ ‘Not gods that know what it feels like to be weak …’ ‘What? They wouldn’t last five minutes. It’s a god-eat-god world.’ ‘Perhaps that explains something about the nature of gods. Strength is hereditary. Like sin.”

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“Furnishing was not a priority in the Citadel. Shelves, stools, tables... There was a rumor among the novices that priests towards the top of the hierarchy had golden furniture, but there was no sign of it here. The room was as severe as anything in the novices' quarters although it had, perhaps, a more opulent severity; it wasn't the forced bareness of poverty, but the starkness of intent.”

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“People said there had to be a Supreme Being because otherwise how could the universe exist, eh? And of course there clearly had to be, said Koomi, a Supreme Being. But since the universe was a bit of a mess, it was obvious that the Supreme Being hadn't in fact made it. If he had made it he would, being Supreme, have made a better job of it, with far better thought given, taking an example at random, to things like the design of the common nostril. Or, to put it another way, the existence of a badly put-together watch proved the existence of a blind watchmaker. You only had to look around to see that there was room for improvement practically everywhere. This suggested that the Universe had probably been put together in a bit of a rush by an underling while the Supreme Being wasn't looking, in the same way that Boy Scouts' Association minutes are done on office photocopiers all over the country. So, reasoned Koomi, it was not a good idea to address any prayers to a Supreme Being. It would only attract his attention and might cause trouble.”

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“It’s a popular fact that 90 percent of the brain is not used and, like most popular facts, it is wrong. . . . It is used. One of its functions is to make the miraculous seem ordinary, to turn the unusual into the usual. Otherwise, human beings, faced with the daily wondrousness of everything, would go around wearing a stupid grin, saying “Wow,” a lot. Part of the brain exists to stop this from happening.”

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“The Ephebians believed that every man should have the vote (provided that he wasn't poor, foreign, nor disqualified by reason of being mad, frivolous, or a woman). Every five years someone was elected to be Tyrant, provided he could prove that he was honest, intelligent, sensible, and trustworthy. Immediately after he was elected, of course, it was obvious to everyone that he was a criminal madman and totally out of touch with the view of the ordinary philosopher in the street looking for a towel. And then five years later they elected another one just like him, and really it was amazing how intelligent people kept on making the same mistakes.”

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“Size söylüyorum," dedi. "beni dinleyin! Sonlu bir zeka, tamam mı, karşılaştırma yolu ile mutlak gerçeğe ulaşamaz, çünkü doğası gereği bölünmez olduğundan, gerçek, `daha fazla` ve `daha az` kavramlarını dışlar, bu yüzden gerçeğin kendisi dışında hiçbir şey gerçeğin kesin ölçütü olamaz. Piç kuruları!" Binanın içinden biri, "Yok ya? Sen öyle diyorsun," dedi. Yaşlı adam Brutha'yı görmezden geldi, bir parke taşını büyük bir güçlükle yerden söküp aldı ve elinde tarttı. Sonra tekrar kapıdan içeri daldı. Uzak bir öfke çığlığı duyuldu. "Ah. Felsefe," dedi Om.”

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