Brian Herbert > Quotes

“Aristotle raped reason. He implanted in the dominant schools of philosophy the attractive belief that there can be discrete separation between mind and body. This led quite naturally to corollary delusions such as the one that power can be understood without applying it, or that joy is totally removable from unhappiness, that peace can exist in the total absence of war, or that life can be understood without death.
—ERASMUS, Corrin Notes”
― Brian Herbert, The Butlerian Jihad

“The first step in innovation is to know that a thing can be created. After that, the rest is a matter of detail.”
― Brian Herbert, House Corrino

“Some say it is better to rule in hell than serve in heaven. That is a defeatist attitude. I intend to rule everywhere, not just in Hell."
- General Agamemnon
New Memoirs”
― Brian Herbert, The Battle of Corrin

“Even the poorest House can be rich in loyalty. Allegiance that must be purchased by bribes or wages is hollow and flawed, and could break at the worst possible moment. Allegiance that comes from the heart, though, is stronger than adamantium and more valuable than purest melange.”
― Brian Herbert, House Atreides

“Brilliant, Piter! I'm glad I didn't execute you all those times when you were so annoying.'

'So am I,' de Vries said.”
― Brian Herbert, House Atreides

“My Sihaya,’ he said as he held her, ‘I have loved you for five thousand years.”
― Brian Herbert, Sandworms of Dune

“Seeker, who says religion is the way to God?”
― Brian Herbert, Race for God

“She did not want conversation or company, just the presence of other people; she hoped the background drone of their lives would fill the empty spaces in her mind.”
― Brian Herbert, The Winds of Dune

“We could be dreaming all the time, but we do not perceive those dreams while we are awake because consciousness (like the sun obscuring stars during the day) is much too brilliant to allow the unconscious content so much definition.”
― Brian Herbert, House Corrino

“The greatest relevancy can become irrelevant in the space of a heartbeat.”
― Brian Herbert

“Love is the highest achievement to which any human may aspire. It is an emotion that encompasses the full depth of heart, mind, and soul.”
― Brian Herbert

“Weapons come in an infinite variety of shapes and designs. Some look exactly like people.”
― Brian Herbert

“Any true student must realize that History has no beginning. Regardless of where a story starts, there are always earlier heroes and earlier tragedies.”
― Brian Herbert, The Butlerian Jihad

“But the Butlerians turn fear into violence and panic into a weapon. By creating imaginary problems and raising the specter of nonexistent enemies, they transform common people into a wild herd that destroys everything they do not understand.”
― Brian Herbert, Sisterhood of Dune

“Quite a body count around here today, Fenring mused. And I didn't kill any of them.”
― Brian Herbert, House Harkonnen

“Looking closely at de Vries, he added, 'You are a very ugly man, Piter. Even with my disease, I'm still prettier than you.”
― Brian Herbert, House Harkonnen

“Let the future remain uncertain, for that is the canvas to receive our desires.”
― Brian Herbert, House Harkonnen

“Freedom is an elusive concept. Some men hold themselves prisoner even when they have the power to do as they please and go where they choose, while others are free in their hearts, even as shackles restrain them.”
― Brian Herbert, House Harkonnen

“Baron Vladimir Harkonnen had made a lifetime career of seeking new experiences. He dabbled in hedonistic pleasures - rich foods, exotic drugs, deviant sex - discovering things he had never done before.

But a baby in Harkonnen Keep...how would he handle that?”
― Brian Herbert, House Harkonnen

“Norma looked at him, puzzled. "Someone else to do the mathematics?"
"Of course!" Holtzman brushed iron-gray hair away from his face and adjusted his white robe. "You're an *idea* person, like me. We want you to develop concepts, not bother with full-fledged implementation. You should not waste time performing tedious arithmetic. Any halfway-trained person can do that. It's what slaves are for.”
― Brian Herbert

“Even the most complex math can be broken into a sequence of trivial steps. Each of these slaves has been trained to complete specific equations in an assembly-line fashion. When taken together, this collective human mind is capable of remarkable feats." Holtzman surveyed the room as if he expected his solvers to give him a resounding cheer. Instead, they studied their work with heavy-lidded eyes, moving through equation after equation with no comprehension of reasons or larger pictures.”
― Brian Herbert

“Think of what this planet has done to us. Dune took my Duke and my son and shattered all our hopes and dreams as a family. It swallows people.”
― Brian Herbert, The Winds of Dune

“The desert sorted the faithful from imposters, but the city did not seem to know the difference, and actually rewarded the impure.”
― Brian Herbert

“Who is truly anyone? Every person is illusion to some degree.”
― Brian Herbert, The Winds of Dune

“...the Baron felt cold inside, certain that even the most careful manipulations would not stand up to the close scrutiny of these demonic auditors.”
― Brian Herbert, House Corrino