Happier are all men than the dwellers in Faerie – or the gods, for that matter…Better a life like a falling star, bright across the dark, than a deathlessness that can see naught above or beyond itself…the day draws nigh when Faerie shall fade, the Erlking himself shrink to a woodland sprite and then to nothing, and the gods go under. And the worst of it is, I cannot believe it wrong that the immortals will not live forever.
Poul AndersonThe single definition of government I've ever seen that makes sense is that it's the organization which claims the right to kill people who won't do what it wants.
Poul AndersonAt each stage...entirely new laws, concepts and generalizations are necessary, requiring inspiration and creativity to just as great a degree as in the previous one.
Poul AndersonThere are some ideas so stupid that only intellectuals can believe in them, particularly left-wing intellectuals.
Poul AndersonMy knowledge of the human psyche is as yet imperfect. Certain areas won't yield to computation.
Poul Anderson