Then, as his planet killed him, it occurred to Kynes that his father and all the other scientists were wrong, that the most persistent principles of the universe were accident and error.

Intelligence takes chances with limited data in an arena where mistakes are not only possible but also necessary.

The surest way to keep a secret is to make people believe they already know the answer.

A good companion is one you wouldn't mind dying with.

Argument closes off the doors of the senses. It always masks violence. Continued too long, argument always leads to violence.

Time is a measure of space, just as a range-finder is a measure of space, but measuring locks us into the place we measure.

We tend to become like the worst in those we oppose.