Quotes from Isaac Asimov

That clown is one of the very few that have seen him. I want him. He may be the proof I need – and I need something – Galaxy knows – to awaken the Foundation. 'It needs awakening?' broke in Bayta with sudden sharpness. 'Against what? And in what role do you act as alarm, that of rebel democrat or of secret police and provocateur?

When the entire Foundation is threatened, Madame Revolutionary, both democrats and tyrants perish. Let us save the tyrants from a greater, that we may overthrow them in their turn.

I know this much: species evolve only to meet the pressures of new environments. In a stable environment, a species may remain unchanged for millions of Centuries. Primitive man evolved rapidly because his environment was a harsh and changing one. Once, however, mankind learned to create his own environment, he created a pleasant and stable one, so he just naturally stopped evolving.

Do you want the truth behind it all?" "Go ahead, Cutie. You're amusing." "The Master created humans first as the lowest type, most easily formed. Gradually, he replaced them by robots, the next higher step, and finally he created me, to take the place of the last humans. From now on, I serve the Master.

sincere friendship through trade will be many times better than an insecure overlordship

Do you regret my sufferings? Do you regret my unhappiness? I have no sorrow for what I did in my necessity. Let the Galaxy protect itself as best it can, since it stirred not a whit for my protection when I needed it." "Your emotions are, of course," said the First Speaker, "only the children of your background and are not to be condemned—merely changed.

Now the Empire is stronger than we; it always has been. But this is the first time we are in danger of its direct attack, so that strength becomes terribly menacing. Then if it can be beaten, it must be once again as in all past crises by a method other than pure force. We must find the weak side of its enemy and attack it there.

solo una mentira que no se avergonzara de sí misma conseguiría tener éxito.

His first words were not calculated to improve the atmosphere of a gathering already considerably depressed by the deepening snow-filled twilight outside.

It was not a large office, but it was quite spy-proof and quite undetectably so. Spy-beams trained upon it received neither a suspicious silence nor an even more suspicious static. They received, rather, a conversation constructed at random out of a vast stock of innocuous phrases in various tones and voices.

I tell you. I want to go back to Helicon and take up a study of the mathematics of turbulence, which was my Ph.D. problem, and forget I ever saw—or thought I saw—that turbulence gave an insight into human society.

The stars, like dust, encircle me In living mists of light; And all of space I seem to see In one vast burst of sight.

We are to do nothing, is that right, except to wait in quiet serenity and utter faith for the deus ex machina to pop out of the Vault?" "Stripped of your emotional phraseology, that's the idea." "Such unsubtle escapism! Really, Dr. Fara, such folly smacks of genius. A lesser mind would be incapable of it." Fara smiled indulgently. "Your taste in epigrams is amusing, Hardin, but out of place.

nada tenía que ser verdadero, pero que todo debía parecerlo.

Stored energy had a way of leaking, no matter what was done to stop it. That was another aspect of the all-embracing, irresistible second law of thermodynamics.

I thought you could feel love for me. I don't say you loved me, but it seemed to me you could. I never had that and, although in ancient literature they talked of it, I didn't know what they meant any more than when men in those same books talked about 'honor' and killed each other for its sake.

I wanted to be a psychological engineer, but we lacked the facilities, so I did the next best thing – I went into politics. It's practically the same thing.

The orthodox view has the following reading: '1) A robot may not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; 2) A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; 3) A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

I mean that it is an easy matter for him to instil into a capable general, say, the emotion of utter loyalty to the Mule and complete belief in the Mule's victory. His generals are emotionally controlled. They can not betray him; they can not weaken – and the control is permanent. His most capable enemies become his most faithful subordinates. The warlord of Kalgan surrenders his planet and becomes his viceroy for the Foundation.

Don't be so blinded by your morals you fail to do what's right.

En cierto modo —dijo— diría que hoy es más fácil desaparecer. Con la sociedad cada vez más heterogénea, con individuos cada vez más egocéntricos, ¿a quién puede importarle que una persona más, una menos, se escurra sin ruido a través de los movimientos mecánicos de una mínima participación social?

Ebling Mis said unhurriedly, 'You know what I'm doing these days?' 'I have your reports here,' replied the mayor, with satisfaction, 'together with authorized summaries of them. As I understand it, your investigations into the mathematics of psycho-history have been intended to duplicate Hari Seldon's work and, eventually, trace the projected course of future history, for the use of the Foundation.

Therefore, for the sake of all of us, let's abandon our useless, endless, suicidal bickering and unite behind the real task that awaits us—to survive—to learn—to expand—to enter into a new level of knowledge. Let us strive to inherit the Universe that is waiting for us; doing so alone, if we must, or in company with others—if they are there.

Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.