Sweet reason and solid judgment and philosophical resignation, these w — Larry Niven

"The medical revolution that began with the beginning of the twentieth century had warped all human society for five hundred years. America had adjusted to Eli Whitneys cotton gin in less than half that time. As with the gin, the effects would never quite die out. But already society was swinging back to what had once been normal. Slowly; but there was motion. In Brazil a small but growing alliance agitated for the removal of the death penalty for habitual traffic offenders. They would be opposed, but they would win."

"“I don’t doubt you’re serious,” he said wonderingly. “What I doubt is your sanity.”"

"I sometimes wonder why the aristocracy isn’t extinct, the lot of you seem so stupid sometimes."

"Massive success and massive inertia are two sides of a coin."

"In certain video games, it is impossible to win. All you can do is survive as long as you can, piling up points, until you are eventually dragged down and killed. Much like life itself?"

"Anyone who says human nature can’t be changed is out of his head. To make it stick, he’s got to define human nature—and he can’t."