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Kindle Notes & Highlights
At the slightest stress, human beings seemed to divide themselves into antagonistic groups.
These little blurbs make more and more sense in our real world as well. It's what I like about the writing in this book.
Everywhere, the people would rather fight each other than make a common stand against the central tyranny and the Empire rules without having to exert force.”
“It strikes me that no one could possibly want to be Emperor.” “No sane person would, I agree, but the ‘Imperial wish,’ as it is frequently called, is like a disease that, when caught, drives out sanity. And the closer you get to high office, the more likely you are to catch the disease. With each ensuing promotion—”
If all human beings understood history, they might cease making the same stupid mistakes over and over.”
“Your protector?” Rashelle laughed madly. “You fool! You idiot! That man is Demerzel and if you look at your Venabili woman, you will see from her face that she is perfectly aware of that. You have been trapped all along, far worse than ever you were with me!”
WHAT?! This is the best part of the book so far! I had my suspensions, but wow.
“I mean that you probably chose the name ‘Hummin’ out of a wry sense of what was fitting. ‘Hummin’ is a mispronunciation of ‘human,’ isn’t it?” Hummin made no response. He continued to stare at Seldon. And finally Seldon said, “Because you’re not human, are you, ‘Hummin/Demerzel’? You’re a robot.”
“Emotions, my dear Seldon, are a powerful engine of human action, far more powerful than human beings themselves realize, and you cannot know how much can be done with the merest touch and how reluctant I am to do it.”
