Show me what a people admire, and I will tell you everything about them that matters. Jack McDevitt More Quotes by Jack McDevitt More Quotes From Jack McDevitt Intelligence is like pornography. I can't define it, but I know if when I see it. Jack McDevitt pornography ifs knows There's not much to be said for sightseeing. You go somewhere that has a waterfall. You have a beer, watch the water go over the edge, and move on. Tours are all the same. In the end, the only thing that matters is the beer. Jack McDevitt beer water moving Solitude is only a good idea if you have the right people along to share it. Jack McDevitt solitude people ideas The measure of a civilization is in the courage, not of its soldiers, but of its bystanders. Jack McDevitt bystanders soldier civilization Lies hold civilization together. If people ever seriously begin telling each other what they really think, there'd be no peace. Good-bye to tact. Good-bye to being polite. Good-bye to showing tolerance for other people's buffooneries. The fact that we claim to admire Truth is probably the biggest lie of all. But that's part of the charade, part of what makes us human, and we do not even think about it. In effect, we lie to ourselves. Lies are only despicable when they betray a trust. Jack McDevitt civilization lying thinking Decisions are always made with insufficient information. If you really knew what was going on, the decision would make itself. Jack McDevitt information decision made So long as men and women are free, no one is safe. People will be in danger because others can't operate vehicles responsibly or shoot straight. Because physicians are sometimes incompetent and lawyers dishonest. But most of all they will be in danger from ideas. It is the price we willingly pay to be free. Nor would we have it any other way. Jack McDevitt men long ideas People tend to believe that good fortune consists of equal parts talent, hard work, and sheer luck. It's hard to deny the roles of the latter two. As to talent, I would only say it consists primarily in finding the right moment to step in. Jack McDevitt hard-work two believe The problem is that too often the only people who can act don't want change. Power doesn't so much corrupt as it breeds conservatism. Jack McDevitt problem want people If you're right, and nobody really cares what's out there, I wonder whether we're even worth saving. Jack McDevitt saving care wonder See what the world looks like from orbit. Well, in that way, at least, there was profit to be had. Nobody could look down at the planet, green and blue, with no borders in evidence and no sign of human habitation, and not get his perspective forever altered. Jack McDevitt perspective forever blue If you're paying attention to your wardrobe, Rudy believed, your mind isn't sufficiently occupied. Jack McDevitt rudy mind attention Katie commented that Americans had lost the ability to enjoy themselves. "We watch television," Dave said. Jack McDevitt dave watches television If you want creative and successful children, resign yourself to jousting with rebels. Jack McDevitt creative successful children Technological civilizations don't last long. You're all right until you get a printing press. Then a race starts between technology and common sense. And maybe technology always wins. Jack McDevitt technology winning civilization Universal deities ... never seem to smile. Not in any culture. What's the point of having omnipotence if you don't enjoy it? Jack McDevitt omnipotence deities culture All of the important things ... will turn out to be universally shared. It's why there will be no true aliens. Jack McDevitt turns important aliens People who wear their religion on their sleeves talk a lot about going to Sunday school, reading the Bible, and doing good works. And I suppose there's no harm in that. But if I'd gone to the trouble to pull all this together ... and people never paid any attention to it, never bothered to try to find out how the world worked, then I think I'd get annoyed. Jack McDevitt sunday reading school I'm prepared to concede that stupidity does not help survival. One must after all understand not to poke a tiger with a stick. But intelligence leads to curiosity, and curiosity has never been a quality that helps one pour his or her genes into the pool. The truth must lie somewhere between. Whatever the reason, it is clearly mediocrity, at best, that lives and breeds. Jack McDevitt stupidity survival lying Most of us sleepwalk through our lives. We take all its glories, its wine, food, love, and friendship, its sunsets and its stars, its poetry and fireplaces and laughter, for granted. We forget that experience is not, or should not be, a casual encounter, but rather an embrace. Consequently, for too many of us, when we come to the end, we wonder where the years have gone. And we suspect we have not lived. Jack McDevitt laughter wine stars
