Hunters of Dune

by Brian Herbert

Memory is a weapon sharp enough to inflict deep wounds.

Why ask a man who is already lost to lead you? Why then are you surprised if he leads you nowhere?

The strongest and most altruistic leader, even if his office is dependent on the support of the masses, must look first to the dictates of his heart, never allowing his decisions to be swayed by popular opinion. It is only through courage and strength of character that a true and memorable legacy is ever attained.

Some like to live in complacency, hoping for stability without upset. I much prefer to turn over rocks and see what scurries out.

Learn how to recognize your greatest enemy. It may even be yourself.

Do the Masters truly control the strings—or can we use the strings to ensnare the Masters?

Three years of wandering in this ship! Our people certainly comprehend the incredible search for the Promised Land. We will endure as we have always endured. We will be patient as we have always been patient. Still, the doubting voice within me asks, “Does anyone know where we are going?”

A debt is a debt, Sheeana thought. Honor is honor. Truth is truth.

We carry our grail in our heads. Hold it gently and reverently if it ever surfaces in your consciousness.

There is no escape—we pay for the violence of our ancestors.

Like ancient priests and nuns from some long-obsolete religion, Bene Gesserits were supposed to give up love entirely for a greater cause. But in the long run, it never worked to discard everything in order to protect against one perceived weakness. One could not save humans by forcing them to surrender their humanity.

It is not cowardly or paranoid to jump at shadows if a real threat exists.

When the past returns to us with all its glory and pain, we don’t know whether to embrace it or to flee.

The fabric of the universe is connected by threads of thought and tangled alliances. Others may glimpse parts of the pattern, but only we can decipher all of it. We can use that information to form a deadly net in which to trap our enemies.

We all have a beast within us, hungry and violent. Some of us can feed and control the predator within, but it is unpredictable when unleashed.

The unknown can be a terrible thing, and is often made more monstrous by human imagination. The real Enemy, however, may be far worse than any we can possibly imagine. Do not let your guard down.

No land or sea or planet is forever. Wherever we stand, we are only stewards.

The young reed dies so easily. Beginnings are times of such great peril.

“Change is preferable to extinction.”

When one has an obvious need, one has an obvious weakness. Take care when you make a request, for in doing so you reveal your vulnerabilities.

The treatment of an injury may hurt more than the wound itself. Do not allow a sore to fester because you are unwilling to tolerate the momentary pain.

Every judgment teeters on the brink of error. To claim absolute knowledge is to become monstrous. Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty.

Do our enemies occur naturally, or do we create them through our own actions?

Despite the words of egalitarians, all humans are not the same. Each of us contains a unique mix of hidden potential. In times of crisis, we must discover these abilities before it is too late.

Like minds do not always blend. They can be an explosive mixture.

Our motivations are as important as our goals. Use this to understand your enemy. With such knowledge, you can either defeat him or, even better, manipulate him into becoming your ally.

It is often easier for us to destroy each other than it is to resolve our differences. Such is the cosmic joke of human nature!

Reputation can be a beautiful weapon. It often spills less blood.

Is Love born to us, as natural a part of our humanity as breathing and sleeping? Or is Love something we must create within ourselves?

The meek see potential threats everywhere. The bold see potential profits.

Simply because something is not seen does not mean it is not there. Even the most observant can make this mistake. One must always be alert.

We can learn much from those who came before us. The most valuable legacy our predecessors can leave us is the knowledge of how to avoid the same deadly mistakes.

Information is always available, if one is willing to go to extreme lengths to obtain it.

The human mind is not a puzzle to be solved but a treasure chest for us to open. If we cannot pick the lock, then we must smash it apart. Either way, the riches inside will be ours.

Those who think they see most clearly are often more blind than the rest.

I will die four deaths—the death of the flesh, the death of the soul, the death of the myth, and the death of reason. And all of these deaths contain the seeds of resurrection.

In our arrogant assumption of superiority, we believe that our developed senses and abilities are the direct result of evolution. We are convinced that our race has bettered itself through technological advancement. Therefore, we are shamed and embarrassed when something we consider to be “primitive” has senses far superior to our own.

Even a great tower has its weak point. The accomplished warrior finds and exploits the smallest flaws to bring about complete ruin.

Rot at the core always spreads outward.

As human beings, we have trouble functioning in environments in which we feel threatened. The threat becomes the focus of our existence. But “safety” is one of the great illusions of the universe. Nowhere is it truly safe.

An alliance is often more a work of art than a simple business transaction.

A choice can be as dangerous as a weapon. Refusing to choose is in itself a choice.

To suspect your own mortality is to know the beginning of terror. To learn irrefutably that you are mortal is to know the end of terror.

The hunt has been a fundamental part of the natural order since life first emerged. The prey knows this as well as the predator.

To a seasoned fighter, each battle is a banquet. Victory should be savored like the finest wine or the most extravagant dessert. Defeat is like a rancid chunk of meat.

The enemy of your enemy is not necessarily your friend. He may hate you as much as any other rival.

Radicals are only to be feared when you try to suppress them. You must demonstrate that you will use the best of what they offer.

Love is one of the most dangerous forces in the universe. Love weakens, while deceiving us into believing it is a good thing.

We all have an innate ability to recognize flaws and weaknesses in others. It takes much greater courage, however, to recognize the same flaws in ourselves.

Seeing is not knowing, and knowing is not preventing. Certainty can be as much of a curse as uncertainty. Without knowing the future, one has more options in forming a reaction.