Death's End (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #3)

by Liu Cixin

“Do you think life is nothing but a fragile, thin, soft shell clinging to the surface of this planet?” “Isn’t it?” “Only if you neglect the power of time. If a colony of ants continue to move clods the size of grains of rice, they could remove all of Mount Tai in a billion years. As long as you give it enough time, life is stronger than metal and stone, more powerful than typhoons and volcanoes.”

The fish who dried the sea went onto land before they did this. They moved from one dark forest to another dark forest.

Death is the only lighthouse that is always lit. No matter where you sail, ultimately, you must turn toward it. Everything fades in the world, but Death endures.”

Weakness and ignorance are not barriers to survival, but arrogance is.

Civilization was like a mad dash that lasted five thousand years. Progress begot more progress; countless miracles gave birth to more miracles; humankind seemed to possess the power of gods; but in the end, the real power was wielded by time.

The ultimate fate of all intelligent beings has always been to become as grand as their thoughts.