James Edwin Gunn Quotes

#1. A man is what a man is; he recognises his deficiencies and tries to conquer them or plans around them.

James Edwin Gunn

#2. If they succeed, it will not matter if Man becomes immortal.
He will have nothing to live for.

James Edwin Gunn

#3. Animals fight wars; flowers practice peace.

James Edwin Gunn

#4. We must have tranquillity." "In a technological world," MacDonald said, "change is inevitable. What you must have for tranquillity is reasonable change, manageable change.

James Edwin Gunn

#5. Everyone is his or her own messiah.

James Edwin Gunn

#6. Don't get so holy, Pearce. Life isn't holy.

James Edwin Gunn

#7. Fuck the passengers!

James Edwin Gunn

#8. The lies we tell about ourselves may be more revealing than the truths we incautiously reveal.

James Edwin Gunn

#9. Riley asked himself why he had ever considered space travel romantic. "Because you are a romantic," his pedia said.

James Edwin Gunn

#10. The important task of government, you see, is to keep conditions stable, to hold down disturbances and unrest, to maintain itself, and the best way to do that is to give everybody the opportunity to do what they want - except change things.

James Edwin Gunn

#11. Poverty and injustice are evils, but they are endurable evils in a world where other problems are greater. They are not endurable in a complex, technological society where cooperation is essential, where violence and rioting can destroy a city, even civilization itself.

James Edwin Gunn