42 Quotes

“The Answer to the Great Question... Of Life, the Universe and Everything... Is... Forty-two,' said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

“To exhibit the perfect uselessness of knowing the answer to the wrong question.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness

“How many roads must a man walk down?”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

“The whole world is a sack of shit ripping open. I can´t save it.”
― Charles Bukowski, The Captain is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship

“Forty-two!" yelled Loonquawl. "Is that all you've got to show for seven and a half million years' work?"
"I checked it very thoroughly," said the computer, "and that quite definitely is the answer. I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you've never actually known what the question is.”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

“The only thing we can do now,” said Benjy, crouching and stroking his whiskers in thought, “is to try and fake a question, invent one that will sound plausible.”
“Difficult,” said Frankie. He thought. “How about, What's yellow and dangerous?”
Benjy considered this for a moment.
“No, no good,” he said. “Doesn't fit the answer.”
They sank into silence for a few seconds.
“All right,” said Benjy. “What do you get if you multiply six by seven?”
“No, no, too literal, too factual,” said Frankie, “wouldn't sustain the punter's interest.”
Again they thought.
Then Frankie said: “Here's a thought. How many roads must a man walk down?”
“Ah!” said Benjy. “Aha, now that does sound promising!” He rolled the phrase around a little. “Yes,” he said, “that's excellent! Sounds very significant without actually tying you down to meaning anything at all. How many roads must a man walk down? Forty-two. Excellent, excellent, that'll fox 'em. Frankie, baby, we are made!”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

“You are easy to explain – even to you.  You may call yourself a soul if that pleases you, but what you are is a nexus of electromagnetic forces, so arranged that all the interconnections and interrelationships are exactly imitative of those of your brain in your Universe-existence – down to the smallest detail.  Therefore you have your capacity for thought, your memories, your personality.  It still seems to you that you are you.”
― Isaac Asimov, The Last Answer

“The meaning of life is to make life be more.”
― Will Advise

“Представи си, че решаваш с генетичен алгоритъм задачата за търговския пътник. Натъпкваш индивидите със случайни правила и ги пускаш да еволюират. А те как преживяват това? Те си мислят с кого да се кръстосат, ядосват се, когато съседът им изяде ресурсите, някои загиват, други оцеляват. Цяла трагедия древногръцка. А не разбират, че смисълът на техния така наречен живот е да решат — при това не поотделно, а колективно, цялата популация — задачата за търговския пътник. И нищо друго. Но в мисленето си те са ограничени в ядене, размножаване и толкова. Това е за тях смисълът. А ти ги гледаш отгоре като дядо господ как се суетят…
— Май нещо като системна теология се получава — чеше се по главата Сидорчук. — Някой ни е програмирал, на седмия ден е задал гранични условия и ни е пуснал да му решаваме задачата. За търговски пътник или за обхождане на N-мерна шахматна дъска с ход на коня, слона и верблюда. И сега ние смятаме нещо, а Програмистът ни зяпа отгоре и се чуди кога ще свършваме. А ние преживяваме, конкурираме се за пари и жени, водим войни — обикновени, валутни и хуманитарни…”
― Иван Попов