Ship of Fools Quotes

“I think often of Father Veronica. It would be nice to believe that her spirit, her soul, lives on and is somehow with us yet: watching over us, guiding us in whatever way she can. I want to believe this. I don’t. I still do not believe - not in an afterlife, not in heaven and hell, and I do not believe in the existence of God. And yet . . . and yet she is still with me in a strange and mysterious way - through my memories of her, through my imagination. I talk to her, I imagine what her replies would be, and I talk further with her. I have long internal conversations, discussions and even arguments; they sometimes bring me comfort, ease my grief, my guilt. She would probably say I was praying, and perhaps I am.”
― Richard Paul Russo, Unto Leviathan

“Those are God-like qualities. Not in power, but in choice. If He had created us in such a way that we could only do good, if we were incapable of acting badly, selfishly, causing pain or harm, then the notion of free will would be meaningless, would it not? Not only that, true free will precludes God’s intervention in our lives. There is no real free will if God intercedes to protect us or save us from the consequences of our own or other people’s actions and choices. We have to face those consequences ourselves. That is the price we pay for free will.” Father”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“ideas, different ways of looking at the world.” “Different beliefs?” “Yes, different beliefs, too. But we don’t have contact with other people. We go far too many years without seeing anyone other than ourselves. In fact, I do not think it is a good thing that we spend our entire lives on this ship.” “Why not?” I was amazed at how open she was with me, and I wanted to encourage her to keep talking. “We stagnate, and we have no history.” “We”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“Nikos looked at me with concern. “We’re in deep trouble, Bartolomeo.”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“No idea is too strange or ridiculous. An unworkable idea may inspire in someone else an idea that will work.”
― Richard Paul Russo, Unto Leviathan

“When God created human beings, He bestowed upon us the greatest gift besides His love. Out of His love. Two gifts, really, but so interconnected they are like one. First, the capacity to do anything, good or evil, wise or unwise, loving or hateful. And second, true free will to act upon that capacity.
“Those are God-like qualities. Not in power, but in choice. If He had created us in such a way that we could only do good, if we were incapable of acting badly, selfishly, causing pain or harm, then the notion of free will would be meaningless, would it not? Not only that, true free will precludes God’s intervention in our lives. There is no real free will if God intercedes to protect us or save us from the consequences of our own or other people’s actions and choices. We have to face those consequences ourselves. That is the price we pay for free will.”
Father Veronica sighed heavily, and when she resumed there was an ache in her voice. “Can you imagine the sacrifice God has made to provide us with this gift? He knows we will not always make good choices, He knows we will cause ourselves and others terrible pain and grief. Can you imagine His own pain and grief, knowing that He could intercede, could change our lives and ease our suffering, but knowing also that to do so would be to take back the wonderful gift He has bestowed?
“For we can also love and comfort one another, we can choose good over evil, we can relish and appreciate life, we can revel in all the small, wonderful pleasures of being alive, we can love and be loved, and those things are all the greater because they are freely chosen. Because we are not puppets.”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“I drifted just outside, contemplating the dark interior.”
― Richard Paul Russo, Unto Leviathan

“I would like to say that the following days were filled with awe and excitement, with marvels and wonders, astonishing discoveries. If they were, the marvels went unrecognized.
Mysteries we did find, and they were many. But I learned that something can be too mysterious, too alien - so mysterious or alien as to approach being meaningless:
-two connected rooms crisscrossed by metal rods; we had to laboriously climb through them each time we went in or out of the ship until we found a curving passage that bypassed them. We couldn't even guess at the purpose or function of the rooms or the rods.”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“Mysteries we did find, and they were many. But I learned that something can be too mysterious, too alien - so mysterious or alien as to approach being meaningless:”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“and sometimes we have to take it on faith that we are actually making progress, getting closer to our destination. Faith. Four months”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“Pär grinned. “What’s so funny?” “You are, Bartolomeo.” “Everything you’ve said is true,” Nikos added, “but it’s not that simple. Your choices, your decisions, were not necessarily the wrong choices. Sometimes, they were the right choices, the moral choices. They just didn’t work out.” “That’s an understatement.” “I’m”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“I can imagine the second part of the verse as perhaps once mistranscribed, or misunderstood—maybe even out of fear. Change it ever so slightly, just a couple of words, and it becomes something very different.” He closed his eyes, and quoted the changed verse. “But unto Leviathan thou gavest the seventh part, namely the moist; and hast kept him to devour whom thou wilt, and when.” He paused again. “Now we have something that appears to describe our alien ship quite well.” I”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“Cantus astronomicus, domine astronomy . . .” She was chanting what seemed to be a mix of ersatz Latin and Standard. I knelt”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“Either way, though, how is it that God lets these terrible things happen?” She hesitated before answering. “That is a meaningless question,” she eventually said. “I don’t understand. Isn’t that the kind of question the bishop and priests try to answer all the time?” “I have beliefs somewhat different from others in the Church.” “Having belief of any kind would be different from the bishop,” I said. I thought I could see her smile. “Oh, the bishop has beliefs,” she said. “God just isn’t one of them.” I”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“Now, for the second thing we need. Father Veronica. Tell us about . . . the Church’s historical records.” “NO!” Bishop Soldano rose to his feet, slamming his hands on the table. “Let her speak,” Nikos said. “Don’t do this, Veronica.” Father Veronica appeared unhappy, yet determined. “It’s too late, Eminence.” “It is a betrayal of the Church!” “No. It is upholding the Church’s principles. God’s principles.” The bishop sat down heavily and closed his eyes for a moment. “You are making a serious mistake, Veronica.” “Perhaps, Eminence. But I make it with good conscience.” The bishop had no response to this except to stare at me with that same malevolence he’d directed at me the day before; eventually he sank back, still shaking with rage. Father Veronica”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“Before that, there was no official ship History. The only official records were the ship’s logs.” He sighed heavily, shaking his head. “But they were all destroyed. Which is why the History was begun, to provide an alternate”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“Ten minutes later, after we had gathered everyone in the main cabin, I had nine volunteers to stay in the alien ship while the shuttle took the old woman back to the Argonos; ten, including me. That was everyone. We would all stay.   “I”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“She came flying out at us, screeching again, but this time we were prepared. She was still strong and wild, but there were three of us and it wasn’t long before we subdued her. I held her from behind, pinning her arms to her side, my hands gripping one another tightly; my artificial arms would not tire, although my shoulders eventually would. “We mean you no harm,” I said softly. “Do you understand me?” Her only response was a pained, high keening, which gradually faded and she let her head hang, as though she was unconscious. As before, she had ceased to struggle.”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“Nikos stared out across the bleached sand, the scattered cacti and rock. “Walk with me a while, Bartolomeo.” We walked together across the hot sand, an arm’s length apart. I’d already lost my orientation, and when I looked around, I found I could not locate the entrance I’d used; I was struck by the irrational fear that I might never be able to find my way out of there. Or that Nikos would murder me. My body could remain undiscovered for decades. “We’ve been friends a lot of years, Bartolomeo.” “Were friends,” I corrected him. “No more?” “I don’t think so, Nikos.” He stopped, turned, and looked at me, his expression steady. If he’d been drinking recently, I couldn’t tell. Everything about him seemed sober and firm. “We’ve both made mistakes. Out of fear, or mistrust. Or perhaps even simple misunderstanding. Whatever the reasons. But is the damage to our friendship irreparable?” I’d thought so, but suddenly I was unsure. Watching him, listening to him, I was unable to detect any dissembling. He seemed sincere. Nikos could be deceptive and manipulative, but I always thought I could see through him. I’d missed it before, although looking back on it, I realized the signs had been there—I just hadn’t recognized them; maybe because I hadn’t wanted to. Now, though, I saw nothing but a sincere effort at reconciliation. “I don’t know,” I finally said. “Honest”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“Aguilera is a man who has provided wise counsel over the years, has demonstrated an acute mind and an ability to view things from a perspective different from that of most people. And I think that a different perspective is exactly what we need in this situation.” “I”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“What else are we going to do? An alien starship, Bartolomeo. As far as we know, this is the first and only time in human history that we have had any contact, any evidence of an intelligent alien civilization. We can’t just stop now, leave it all behind as if it didn’t exist.” That”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“FATHER Veronica finally came to see me again. She was distraught, and apologized for not coming sooner. “I was denied access to you,” she explained. “Why?” “I still don’t know. Perhaps because of what we talked about when I was here; I was probably unwisely indiscreet. I have been permitted to visit any of the prisoners except you. It’s taken all this time for me to work out permission for one last visit.” One”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“I had my own skeptic’s thoughts about God and free will, but that was a discussion for another time. The idea of human beings in power acting out of anything except self-interest, however, was absurd to me. “Are you being naive?” I asked her. “No,”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“Steam rose from the river, from the building rooftops, from the mud, from the trees surrounding the town—antediluvian jungle. I”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools

“I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Father Veronica, not looking at me but gazing at the monitor with fear and wonder. “Bartolomeo,”
― Richard Paul Russo, Ship of Fools