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.

Reciprocal accountability, or criticism [is] the only known antidote to error.

Only people with full stomachs become environmentalists.

You don't have conversations with microprocessors. You tell them what to do, then helplessly watch the disaster when they take you literally!

The measure of (mental) health is flexibility (not comparison to some 'norm'), the freedom to learn from experience ... to be influenced by reasonable arguments ... and the appeal to the emotions ... and especially the freedom to cease when sated. The essence of illness is the freezing of behavior into unalterable and insatiable patterns.

With gritty action and realistic science, Peter Watts brings to life a dark and vivid world.

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.