We Earth Men have a talent for ruining big, beautiful things. The only reason we didn't set up hot-dog stands in the midst of the Egyptian temple of Karnak is because it was out of the way and served no large commercial purpose.

Fantasies are things that can't happen, and science fiction is about things that can happen.

The minute you get a religion you stop thinking. Believe in one thing too much and you have no room for new ideas.

You're not like the others. I've seen a few; I know. When I talk, you look at me. When I said something about the moon, you looked at the moon.

Poetry expands the senses and keeps them in prime condition. It keeps you aware of your nose, your eye, your ear, your tongue, your hand.

I used to take my short stories to girls' homes and read them to them. Can you imagine the reaction reading a short story to a girl instead of pawing her?

We're going to become the martians when we land there. When we explore and build communities, we become the martians. That's a wonderful destiny for all of us.