The Dark Forest (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #2)

by Liu Cixin

Ten thousand times the web could be destroyed, and ten thousand times the spider would rebuild it. There was neither annoyance nor despair, nor any delight, just as it had been for a billion years.

“What sort of a society is it when thought is completely transparent? What sort of culture does it produce? What sort of politics? No scheming, no pretending.”

“It’s not important where we go. I think it’s a wonderful feeling just being on a journey.”

‘In this war lies the fate of the country, but what does it matter next to individual rights and freedoms?

qualitative change is only produced by long-term quantitative accumulation.

The sun and the universe will die one day, so why should humanity believe that it ought to be immortal?

Don’t dismiss simplicity. Simple means solid.

When the devil does actually appear, the best option is calmness and rationality.

“Right now, the greatest obstacle to humanity’s survival comes from itself.”

Time is the one thing that can’t be stopped. Like a sharp blade, it silently cuts through hard and soft, constantly advancing. Nothing is capable of jolting it even the slightest bit, but it changes everything.

“Whether as messiah, or as refugee, I can always use what resources I have to try and live a happy life. You might think I’m selfish, but to be honest, this is the only thing I respect about myself.

Carpe diem is our most sacred duty.”

No matter what the future might bring, the present is most important.

Humanism comes first, and perpetuating civilization comes second. These are the concepts that today’s society is based on.”

“Emancipation of human nature inevitably brings with it scientific and technological progress.”

‘Make time for life, or life won’t make time.’

Darkness was the mother of life and of civilization.

What was the human world like in the eyes of the mountains? Perhaps just something they saw on a leisurely afternoon. First, a few small living beings appeared on the plain. After a while, they multiplied, and after another while they erected structures like anthills that quickly filled the region. The structures shone from the inside, and some of them let off smoke. After another while, the lights and smoke disappeared, and the small things vanished as well, and then their structures toppled and were buried in the sand. That was all. Among the countless things the mountains had witnessed, these fleeting events were not necessarily the most interesting.

“Human civilization has a history of just five thousand years, yet we cherish life and freedom so highly. There must be civilizations in the universe with a history of billions of years. What sort of morality do they possess? Is there any point to that question?”

The universe is big, but life is bigger!

An eternal threat that any life that exposes its own existence will be swiftly wiped out. This is the picture of cosmic civilization. It’s the explanation for the Fermi Paradox.”

“If I’ve done anything wrong, I’m sorry,” he said to the ant.

Silence is the greatest form of contempt,

“I have a dream that one day brilliant sunlight will illuminate the dark forest.”