Half the fun of writing a novel is finding out from other people later on what you actually meant.
Iain BanksA lot of what the 'Culture' is about is a reaction to all the science fiction I was reading in my very early teens.
Iain BanksAll our lives are symbols. Everything we do is part of a pattern we have at least some say in. The strong make their own patterns and influence other people's, the weak have their courses mapped out for them. The weak and the unlucky, and the stupid.
Iain Banks