Tau Zero

by Poul Anderson

No matter how carefully you design a system, it will go bad and die.”

it would be a joy to believe in some kind of religion, since that would perfect the world by giving it ultimate purpose, but in the absence of convincing proof she could still do her best to help supply that meaning, help mankind move toward something loftier—

It is a kind of death—followed by resurrection, perhaps, but nonetheless a death.”

“Did you ever read Moby Dick?” she whispered. “That’s us. We’ve pursued the White Whale. To the end of time. And now … that question. What is man, that he should outlive his God?”

“I wonder if the biggest surprise in these next months isn’t how stubbornly ordinary life will keep on being.”

“Once a crisis is past, once people can manage for themselves … what better can a king do for them than take off his crown?”