The only people who have the long view are some scientists and some science fiction writers.

I have always lived in a world in which I'm just a spot in history. My life is not the important point. I'm just part of the continuum, and that continuum, to me, is a marvelous thing. The history of life, and the history of the planet, should go on and on and on and on. I cannot conceive of anything in the universe that has more meaning than that.

I'm not sure a world run by women would be any better. They're human beings!

What do I have to say to the universe? A soul ought to have something to say to the universe if it's going to be immortal.

There are writers who say they have no social responsibility except to write a good book, but that doesn't satisfy me.

Do you realize it’s been only a century that we’ve been able to go from house to car to office to car to wherever, with the heater on, and the defroster on, protected from the rain and the cold? It hasn’t been much longer than that we’ve had lighting for streets. Think of all that darkness, all that world out there, all that mystery that we’ve turned into well-lighted concrete bunkers, safe and warm and dull.

Science fiction still is an idea genre.