J. > J.'s Quotes

“I am and always will be the optimist, the hoper of far-flung hopes and the dreamer of improblable dreams.”
― Matt Smith

“The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.”
― Ayn Rand

“When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching -- they are your family. ”
― Jim Butcher

“We are not going to die."

Butters stared up at me, pale, his eyes terrified. "We're not?"

"No. And do you know why?" He shook his head. "Because Thomas is too pretty to die. And because I'm too stubborn to die." I hauled on the shirt even harder. "And most of all because tomorrow is Oktoberfest, Butters, and polka will never die.”
― Jim Butcher, Dead Beat

“What are clouds, but an excuse for the sky? What is life, but an escape from death?”
― James Clavell

“Leave the problems of God to God and karma to karma. Today you’re here and nothing you can do will change that. Today you’re alive and here and honored, and blessed with good fortune. Look at this sunset, it’s beautiful, neh? This sunset exists. Tomorrow does not exist. There is only now. Please look. It is so beautiful and it will never happen ever again, never, not this sunset, never in all infinity.

Lose yourself in it, make yourself one with nature and do not worry about karma, yours, mine, or that of the village.”
― James Clavell, Shōgun

“There is no dignity for either the sufferer or the torturer”
― James Clavell, Shogun

“Guard yourself and your conscience no one else will and know that a bad decision at the right time can destroy you far more surely than any bullet!”
― James Clavell, King Rat

“He took a deep breath of air. Once again he caught a strangeness on the wind, neither pleasant nor unpleasant, neither odor nor perfume—just strange, and curiously exciting. “Superintendent, what’s that smell? Casey noticed it too, the moment Sven opened the door.” Armstrong hesitated. Then he smiled. “That’s Hong Kong’s very own, Mr. Bartlett. It’s money.”
― James Clavell, Noble House

“Without privacy, civilized life could not exist.”
― James Clavell, Shōgun, Volume 1

“Patience is important for a man, vital for a leader”
― James Clavell, Shogun Part 1 Of 3

“…Boredom [is] a moral failing, the mark of a mind insufficiently stocked to occupy itself.”
― Nancy Kress, Probability Moon

“Miri once told me that there were only four important ques­tions you could ask about any human being: How does he fill up his time? How does he feel about how he fills up his time? What does he love? How does he react to those he perceives as either inferior or superior to him?

If you make people feel inferior, even unintentionally," she had said, her dark eyes intense, "they will be uncomfortable around you. In that situation, some people will attack. Some will ridicule, to 'cut you down to size.' But some will admire, and learn from you. If you make people feel superior, some will react by dis­missing you. Some by wielding power — just because they can — in greater or lesser ways. But some will be moved to protect and help. All this is just as true of a junior lodge clique as of a group of governments.”
― Nancy Kress, Beggars and Choosers

“Anything said in upper-crust British automatically sounded intelligent.”
― Nancy Kress, Yesterday's Kin

“A good end cannot sanctify evil means, nor must we ever do evil that good may come of it.”
― Nancy Kress, Crucible

“The best cure for racism is to have somebody shoot at you. Man, it does not matter then what color the arse is that comes to save yours-black or white, you're ready to give it a big fat kiss.”
― Wilbur Smith, Golden Fox

“They do say that socialism is the ideal philosophy-just as long as you have capitalists to pay for it.”
― Wilbur Smith, The Leopard Hunts in Darkness

“No profit was too small to despise; no loss was too small to abhor.”
― Wilbur A. Smith, Elephant Song

“A cynic had defined aid as simply the system by which poor white people in rich countries gave money to rich black people in poor countries to put into Swiss bank accounts.”
― Wilbur A. Smith, Elephant Song

“He’s stuck out there. He thinks he’s totally alone and that we all gave up on him. What kind of effect does that have on a man’s psychology?” He turned back to Venkat. “I wonder what he’s thinking right now.”

LOG ENTRY: SOL 61 How come Aquaman can control whales? They’re mammals! Makes no sense.”
― Andy Weir, The Martian

“Maybe I’ll post a consumer review. “Brought product to surface of Mars. It stopped working. 0/10.”
― Andy Weir, The Martian

“I guess you could call it a "failure", but I prefer the term "learning experience".”
― Andy Weir, The Martian

“LOG ENTRY: SOL 381 I’ve been thinking about laws on Mars.

Yeah, I know, it’s a stupid thing to think about, but I have a lot of free time.

There’s an international treaty saying no country can lay claim to anything that’s not on Earth. And by another treaty, if you’re not in any country’s territory, maritime law applies.

So Mars is “international waters.”

NASA is an American nonmilitary organization, and it owns the Hab. So while I’m in the Hab, American law applies. As soon as I step outside, I’m in international waters. Then when I get in the rover, I’m back to American law.

Here’s the cool part: I will eventually go to Schiaparelli and commandeer the Ares 4 lander. Nobody explicitly gave me permission to do this, and they can’t until I’m aboard Ares 4 and operating the comm system. After I board Ares 4, before talking to NASA, I will take control of a craft in international waters without permission.

That makes me a pirate!

A space pirate!”
― Andy Weir, The Martian

“I'm calling it the Watney Triangle because after what I've been through, shit on Mars should be named after me.”
― Andy Weir, The Martian

“My asshole is doing as much to keep me alive as my brain.”
― Andy Weir, The Martian

“I don’t want to come off as arrogant here, but I’m the best botanist on the planet.”
― Andy Weir, The Martian

“Conclusion: I don't need the water reclaimer at all. I'll drink as needed and dump my waste outdoors. Yeah, that's right, Mars, I'm gonna piss and shit on you. That's what you get for trying to kill me all the time.”
― Andy Weir, The Martian

“If the road is easy, you're likely going the wrong way.”
― Terry Goodkind

“Sometimes, making the wrong choice is better than making no choice. You have the courage to go forward, that is rare. A person who stands at the fork, unable to pick, will never get anywhere.”
― Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule

“I am who I am; no more, no less.”
― Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule