David Brin Quotes & Sayings

“It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.”

“Only a knowledgeable, empowered and vocal citizenry can perform well in democracy.”

“The worst mistake of first contact, made throughout history by individuals on both sides of every new encounter, has been the unfortunate habit of making assumptions. It often proved fatal.”

“When it comes to privacy and accountability, people always demand the former for themselves and the latter for everyone else.”

“Self-righteous people can talk themselves into forgetting they are part of a civilization. They can then feed on that culture, bringing it down. It's happened many times in the past. It could happen to us.”

“Why must conversions always come so late? Why do people always apologize to corpses?”

“One of the rules I try to follow is that normal people are going to be involved even in heroic events.”

“We already live a very long time for mammals, getting three times as many heartbeats as a mouse or elephant. It never seems enough though, does it?”

“In the book, America had already been weakened by bio terror plagues before waves of selfish violence took down the rest. But the real enemy was the kind of male human being who nurses fantasies of violent glory at the expense of his fellow citizens.”

“But it is a delightful challenge to try to depict interesting aliens.”