Eon (The Way, #1)

by Greg Bear

While ethnic populations still retained versions of their mother tongues, many of the languages had mutated into a common tongue

"Grief is not productive. It simply represents an inefficiency in accepting change of status."

"They're human," Patricia said. "Just because they can choose what shape they want to be, or what talents or abilities they'll have, doesn't mean they're no longer our descendants."

do not trade the devil you know for the devil you don't.

"Then why even bother communicating with us?" Lanier asked. "Consider it a hobby of one's old age, or senility," the Talsit said, without a hint of condescension or dissembling.

Lenore tried, again and again, to point out that engineers were as much responsible for saving the Earth as for destroying it.