The Fountains of Paradise

by Arthur C. Clarke

“Fame is the spur…” he recited in the silence of his thoughts. How did the rest of it go? “(That last infirmity of noble mind) / To scorn delights, and live laborious days.”

those trivial tragedies that shape a man’s childhood, whether he remembers them or not.

Morgan always let his subordinates do their thinking for themselves. It was the only way to establish responsibility, it took much of the load off him, and on many occasions his staff arrived at solutions he had overlooked.

But there was no substitute for reality; one should beware of imitations.