Antarctica Station Quotes

“Vedixol.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“Epoch”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“Do our children care more or less than us? Are we raising more moral humans? If you said yes, I’m afraid the studies don’t support that. In fact, several well-designed surveys suggest that empathy levels in college students have declined by about 40% over the past 30 years.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“Ladies and gentlemen, first thank you for spending your dinner with me. Second, I’d like to start with some bad news: the apocalypse is already occurring. The worse news is that very few even realize it. Tonight I’ll tell you why: it’s because humanity is like the proverbial boiling frog. And that’s why I call it the Boiled Frog Apocalypse.” The speaker went on to talk about the apologue of the boiling frog. The central idea was that if a frog was put in boiling water, it would instantly jump out, saving its life. If, however, the frog was placed in tepid water, it would stay. And it would stay if the temperature were slowly increased, even until boiling, at which point the frog would die. The point was clear: gradual changes were harder to spot than radical ones. The change tonight’s speaker was talking about was from the old world, specifically population growth. The speaker was convinced that the world was in a depopulation crisis. But like the frog in a pot before the water boiled, no one was concerned.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“Short-term thinking. That’s probably humanity’s biggest issue. And the fear of anyone different.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“There’s only one thing to do when you have no destination.” “Yes, Laura?” “Improve yourself.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“All she wanted was to curl up in bed and read until she passed out.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“The bottom line is that Epoch is planning something this summer. We need to know what it is. And if you don’t find out, the deal is off. It’s as simple as that.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“That’s what I want. For both of you to help each other and to be happy and healthy. Some parents have big plans for their children. Your mother and I never did. We had small plans. For us, your happiness was enough. And seeing you reach your potential. That’s what I think a life well-lived is. It’s not about records or the extreme stuff. It’s about doing the best you can with the skills and circumstances you’re given. And: not letting this world change your mind about who you are. The worst people on earth are the ones who need to take from others to succeed. They are parasites, and the world is filled with them.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“A parent who spends the time to raise a child gets a unique gift. There’s the pride of that accomplishment. And—if one is paying attention, and your mom and I were—an understanding of that child. A parent sees a child at their most vulnerable moments. We see their dreams. Shortcomings. Quirks. Strengths. All of it. We are there before the world is watching. At least, that was the case before all this online stuff where everyone wants to expose every moment of their life to the world. But forgive me, I am a dinosaur”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“We’re born alone. And if we screw up in life, we die alone.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“Good. I want to be past this, Laura. You have no idea how horrible it is. Knowing you’re sick and you made yourself sick. Feeling like you threw your life away because you couldn’t handle what happened. Or what was going to happen.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“It was the work. Helping people had meaning for her. It made her feel valued. All of that—the certainty, her self-worth, her entire career—had come crashing down with Samir’s big lie and even bigger betrayal. He had torn apart the life she had carefully constructed, forcing her to start over in the coldest, darkest, most remote place on Earth.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“The speaker went on to talk about the apologue of the boiling frog. The central idea was that if a frog was put in boiling water, it would instantly jump out, saving its life. If, however, the frog was placed in tepid water, it would stay. And it would stay if the temperature were slowly increased, even until boiling, at which point the frog would die. The point was clear: gradual changes were harder to spot than radical ones.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“He had been a true friend to her then. And that’s why his betrayal hurt so much. And she couldn’t help but wonder: was there truly something broken about her that attracted people who were deceptive?”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“That’s what I think a life well-lived is. It’s not about records or the extreme stuff. It’s about doing the best you can with the skills and circumstances you’re given. And: not letting this world change your mind about who you are. The worst people on earth are the ones who need to take from others to succeed. They are parasites, and the world is filled with them.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“Consider the Flynn Effect—the fact that IQ scores gradually increased in the 20th century in countries that tested for it. There’s growing evidence this upward trend began reversing in the 1990s, though the jury is still out.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“Are we raising more moral humans? If you said yes, I’m afraid the studies don’t support that. In fact, several well-designed surveys suggest that empathy levels in college students have declined by about 40% over the past 30 years.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“The speaker held a finger up. “I know what some of you are thinking—because it was once my opinion: what does population matter? So what if we have fewer people?” He shrugged theatrically. “Well, consider your own experiences. Consider the towns and cities in your life that have seen gradual population declines. Consider the loss of tax base. The aging population and the lack of resources to deal with those people. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“The worst people on earth are the ones who need to take from others to succeed. They are parasites, and the world is filled with them. Love your sister, try to help her, avoid the parasites, and be who you are.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“Every egomaniac rules a world that exists in their own mind.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“It had time to itself. Time to think and figure things out—without outside input. Without an internet connection constantly bombarding it with information.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“After much thought, Laura, I reasoned that one of the greatest ways someone can improve themselves is to expand their boundaries beyond what they are capable of.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“She held a hand out. “Do our children care more or less than us? Are we raising more moral humans? If you said yes, I’m afraid the studies don’t support that. In fact, several well-designed surveys suggest that empathy levels in college students have declined by about 40% over the past 30 years.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“In Japan, for example, the current birth rate was 1.3—well below the 2.1 rate needed to maintain its current population. In fact, as of 2021, about 28% of the Japanese population was 65 or older. By 2050, the United Nations projected that Japan's population could decline by almost twenty percent.”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station

“the most powerful question you could ask a person was a simple one: is there anything else you would like to tell me?”
― A.G. Riddle, Antarctica Station