Quotes from Brian Herbert

Such pathetic Lives they lead, Erasmus thought, without formal education or awareness. But even the lowliest of them might possess the tremendous potential to be a great human genius. Lack of opportunities did not necessarily make an individual stupid, but only shifted his intelligence to a form suited to survival rather than creativity.

As Leto thought back on what he had learned during his months on this planet, pieces of the puzzle began fitting together in his mind. "Think about it," he said, "all of that can be fixed. They knew exactly where to hit in order to cripple Ix without causing permanent damage.…" Leto gave a grim nod, the reason suddenly clear to him. "The Tleilaxu want this world and its facilities intact. They plan to take over here.

In any major conflict, each side fights for its own cause—a belief system they consider worth dying for. Alas, there is not an objective, omnipotent arbiter who can simply decide the merits of each issue and put them to rest without bloodshed, thereby rendering armed conflict obsolete. —GILBERTUS ALBANS, Conversations with Erasmus

Only those with narrow minds fail to see that the definition of Impossible is 'Lack of imagination and incentive.' —SERENA BUTLER

The highest function of ecology is the understanding of consequences.

Over a razor-edged horizon the shimmering atmosphere was filled with pastel colors of sunrise. In a brief instant the clean stillness of Arrakis allowed warm light to flood over the wrinkled landscape Ã¢â'¬Â¦ a sudden deluge of brightness and rising heat. The white sun lurched above the horizon, without much precursor glow in the arid air.

Religion and law among the masses must be one and the same. An act of disobedience must be a sin and require religious penalties. This will have the dual benefit of bringing both greater obedience and greater bravery. We must depend not so much on the bravery of individuals, you see, as upon the bravery of a whole population. Pardot Kynes, address to gathered representatives of the greater sietches

History is a moving target that changes as fresh details are discovered, as errors are corrected, as popular attitudes shift. Historians carve the sculpture that is Truth not out of granite, but out of wet clay.

Some say a person can accomplish anything she likes, if she applies herself, but that's just an empty platitude. You can't actually do 'anything,' but if you apply yourselves, you will discover strengths that others don't have. You'll surprise people who don't expect it of you." She lowered her voice. "And that is how you become powerful.

Discovery is dangerous Ã¢â'¬Â¦ but so is life. A man unwilling to take risks is doomed never to learn, never to grow, never to live. Planetologist Pardot Kynes, An Arrakis Primer, written for his son Liet

When alone, a man never had to worry about trusting his companions.

Dune is like a great engine that we are oiling and repairing. One day this world will serve us in new and wondrous ways, just as we will continue to honor and serve it. My Fremen brothers, we are part of the ecosystem ourselves, an integral part. We occupy our own essential niche.

If a man can accept his sin, he can live with it. If a man cannot accept personal sin, he suffers unbearable consequences. —Meditations from Bifrost Eyrie, Buddislamic Text

La mente da órdenes al cuerpo, y este obedece de inmediato. La mente se da órdenes a sí misma, y encuentra resistencia.

threat works only if the recipient believes you are willing to carry through with it. —REVEREND MOTHER RAQUELLA BERTO-ANIRUL

Every judgment teeters on the brink of error. To claim absolute knowledge is to become monstrous. Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty. —LETO ATREIDES II, the God Emperor

Many people are fools, once you get to know them.

Blinking as he pushed himself into the open air like an infant emerging from a womb, Liet stared at the storm-scoured landscape. The desert was reborn: Dunes moved along like a marching herd; familiar landmarks changed; footprints, tents, even small villages erased. The entire basin looked fresh and clean and new.

The Bene Gesserit occupied themselves with numerous breeding schemes, as if farming humanity for their own obscure purposes. They also commanded one of the greatest storehouses of information in the Imperium, using their intricate libraries to look at the broad movements of peoples, to study the effects of one person's actions amidst interplanetary politics.

We all have the innate ability to recognize flaws and weaknesses in others. It takes much greater courage, however, to recognize the same flaws in ourselves.

Those who think they see most clearly are often more blind than the rest.

The future is not for us to see as passive observers, but for us to create.

There are no facts—only observational postulates in an endlessly regenerative hodgepodge of predictions. Consensus reality requires a fixed frame of reference. In a multi-level, infinite universe, there can be no fixity; thus, no absolute consensus reality. In a relativistic universe, it appears impossible to test the reliability of any expert by requiring him to agree with another expert. Both can be correct, each in his own inertial system. Bene Gesserit Azhar Book

Humans are survivors. They do things for themselves and then attempt to conceal their motivations through elaborate subterfuges. Gift-giving is a prime example of behavior that is secretly selfish. -Erasmus