Forward the Foundation (Foundation, #7)

by Isaac Asimov

merely to be underhanded is to be sly and that may be admirable, while to be caught is to be stupid and that is never admirable.”

“You don’t need schooling to be a philosopher. Just an active mind and experience with life.

It was unthinkable for the Emperor to be made to wait. It is one thing to be democratic, quite another to be inconvenienced.

There was so much more in the past, so much less in the future, that the mind turned away from the looming shadow ahead to contemplate the safety of what had gone before.

I want to create a great Encyclopedia, containing within it all the knowledge humanity will need to rebuild itself in case the worst happens—an Encyclopedia Galactica, if you will.

We’ve got democracy now. Do you know what democracy is?” “Certainly.” Agis frowned. He said, “I’ll bet you think it’s a good thing.” “I think it can be a good thing.” “Well, there you are. It isn’t. It’s completely upset the Empire.

“The Legislature shouts at each other, argues, thunders, and lightens, and in the end—nothing is done. Hari, I couldn’t even do as small a thing as fix the broken dome lights you noticed. How much will it cost? Who’s in charge? Oh, the lights will be fixed, but it can easily take a few months to do it. That’s democracy.”

It was the not knowing that did Hari in. He had made a career of knowing—the future as well as the present.

psychohistory is a most valuable tool to be used for the preservation of our culture. Yes, preservation,” she repeated, upon seeing Acarnio’s eyes widen at the word. “Undue emphasis has been placed on the destruction of the Empire. By doing so, the true value of psychohistory has been over-looked. For, with psychohistory, as we are able to predict the inevitable decline of our civilization, so are we able to take steps toward its preservation. That is what the Encyclopedia Galactica is all about.