Phases Of Gravity Quotes

“In the months since Challenger, Baedecker had found it hard to believe that the country had ever flown so frequently and competently into space. The long hiatus of earthbound doubt in which nothing flew had become the normal state of things to Baedecker, mixing in his own mind with a dreary sense of heaviness, of entropy and gravity triumphant.”
― Dan Simmons, Phases Of Gravity

“he finally accepted the pull of the earth and saw clearly that it was more than the mindless call of matter to matter. And with that realization, Baedecker felt the same energy in himself, flowing through him and from him, bringing together and binding people as well as things.”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“One of my favorite things was from the Tattireeya Upanishads. It goes—'I am this world, and I eat this world. Who knows this, knows.”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“Being born again doesn't mean that you've arrived somewhere," said Dave. "It means you're ready to start the trip. The pilgrimage to more places of power, the doomed quest to keep the people and things you love from being caught by the weeds and dragged under.”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“Even places of power are useless unless you're prepared to bring something to them. And I don't mean just the things we brought—they're to the real sacrament what the lump of bread is to the Eucharist. Then, if you come away the same person you were, you know it wasn't really a place of power.”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“But I bet it's more complicated than that. There're places of power—yeah—no doubt about that. But it's like we were talking about last night. You have to help make them. You have to be in the right place at the right time and know it." "How do you know it?" asked Baedecker. "By dreaming about it but not thinking about it," Dave said.”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“I have a friend," said Baedecker, "who said that there might be places of power. She thinks we could do worse than to spend our lives searching for them. What do you think?”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“I think we underestimate how much of our own lives we devote to trying to meet the expectations of the dead," continued Dave. "We don't even think about it, we just do.”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“Richard," said Dave, "do you ever wonder how much of your life you've spent trying to please the dead?”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“you can judge a man by his choice of enemies as well as or better than by his choice of friends,”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“We all want to leave monuments”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“It suddenly occurred to Baedecker that small towns in America were saner than cities because they were allowed to sleep.”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“The mistake is waiting and waiting for the payoff like it's a reward you've got coming,”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“You've had your chance, Richard. Scott's a big boy now, and if he wants to spend a few years chanting mantras and giving away his lunch money to some bearded horse's ass with a Jehovah Complex, well, you've had your chance to help him, so what do you say you just get on with your screwed-up life, Richard E. Baedecker”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“How I yearn to throw myself into endless space," said Maggie, "and float above the awful abyss." Both Baedecker and Gavin turned to stare at her. "Goethe," she said as if in self-defense.”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“How I yearn to throw myself into endless space," said Maggie, "and float above the awful abyss.”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity

“He wasn't interested in asking questions, only in finding answers." "What's the difference?" asked Baedecker. He felt the conversation slipping out of his control, dropping away from him like an aircraft that had reached stall speed. "The difference is that Scott took the line of least resistance," said Maggie. "Like most people, he found it too uncomfortable to be out in the open, unsheltered by some shadow of authority. So when the questions got too hard, he settled for easy answers.”
― Dan Simmons, Phases of Gravity