The real question is not whether machines think but whether men do. The mystery which surrounds a thinking machine already surrounds a thinking man.

The consequences of an act affect the probability of its occurring again.

In the world at large we seldom vote for a principle or a given state of affairs. We vote for a man who pretends to believe in that principle or promises to achieve that state. We don't want a man, we want a condition of peace and plenty-- or, it may be, war and want-- but we must vote for a man.

A culture must be reasonably stable, but it must also change, and it will presumably be strongest if it can avoid excessive respect for tradition and fear of novelty on the one hand and excessively rapid change on the other.

We admire people to the extent that we cannot explain what they do, and the word 'admire' then means 'marvel at.'

Must we wait for selection to solve the problems of overpopulation, exhaustion of resources, pollution of the environment and a nuclear holocaust, or can we take explicit steps to make our future more secure? In the latter case, must we not transcend selection?

If you're old, don't try to change yourself, change your environment.