"The worst mistake of first contact, made throughout history by individuals on both sides of every new encounter, has been the unfortunate habit of making assumptions. It often proved fatal."

David Brin Literature See all quotes by David Brin →

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“Alas, criticism has always been what human beings, especially leaders, most hate to hear.”

“What hope has any endeavor which is based on hate and fear?”

“Daisy had learned not to pay much heed to techno-fads. To her fell the task of preserving as much as possible, so that when humanity finally did fall, it wouldn’t take everything else to the grave with it.”

““After all,” he muttered, “what can they do to shake the confidence of a fellow who’s got delusions of adequacy?”

“Contrary Brin, David Brin's blog”

“Wisdom. No match for the troublemaker Curiosity.”

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— Martin Luther King

Social Activism1929–1968

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"Filmmakers of Cinema Verité resemble tourists who take pictures amid ancient ruins of facts."

— Werner Herzog

Entertainment1962

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"The moment we begin to map the history of money across the last five thousand years of Eurasian history, startling patterns begin to emerge."

— David Graeber

Politics1961–2020

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"Every man among us is more fit to meet the duties and responsibilities of citizenship because of the perils over which, in the past, the nation has triumphed; because of the blood and sweat and tears,…"

— Theodore Roosevelt

Politics1858–1919

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