2001: A Space Odyssey (Space Odyssey, #1)

by Arthur C. Clarke

there was no surplus energy for such acts of kindness.

They were building for eternity.’

It was the mark of a barbarian to destroy something one could not understand;

Somehow, he was not in the least surprised, nor was he alarmed. On the contrary, he felt a sense of calm expectation, such as he had once known when the space-medics had tested him with hallucinogenic drugs. The world around him was strange and wonderful, but there was nothing to fear. He had travelled those millions of miles in search of mystery; and now, it seemed, the mystery was coming to him.