Quotes from Frank Herbert

He taught a balanced way of life, a philosophy with which a human can meet problems arising from an ever-changing universe.

I know the trap of prescience. My father's life tells me what I need to know about it. No, grandmother: to know the future absolutely is to be trapped into that future absolutely. It collapses time. Present becomes future.

If wishes were fishes we'd all cast nets.

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear . . .

The mind can go either direction under stress—toward positive or toward negative: on or off. Think of it as a spectrum whose extremes are unconsciousness at the negative end and hyperconsciousness at the positive end. The way the mind will lean under stress is strongly influenced by training." "It

Many histories are largely worthless because prejudiced, written to please one powerful group or another.

Show me a completely smooth operation and I'll show you someone who's covering mistakes. Real boats rock.

The real wealth of a planet is in its landscape, how we take part in that basic source of civilization—agriculture.

Your Fish Speakers aren't an army, they're a police force." "By my name, I assure you that's not so. Police are inevitably corrupted.

Memory never recaptures reality. Memory reconstructs. All reconstructions change the original, becoming external frames of reference that inevitably fall short.

Hope clouds observation

I had no thoughts in my head. There were thoughts only in my heart and my belly and my loins.

few understand the ultimate peril to humankind—that false sense of freedom from responsibility for your own actions.

Hey, God! I hope you're there. I want you to hear my prayer. That graven image on my shelf; Is it really you or just myself? Well, anyway, here it goes: Please keep me on my toes. Help me past my worst mistakes, Doing it for both our sakes, For an example of perfection To the Proctors of my section; Or merely for the Heaven of it, Like bread, for the leaven of it. For whatever reason may incline, Please act for yours and mine.

As always, Paul experienced a sense of presence in his father, someone totally here.

Choose containable violence when violence cannot be avoided. Better this than epidemic violence. — Lessons of Choice, The BuSab Manual

la Reverenda Madre.

It was one of those abrupt thought changes which so confounded Stilgar. He found himself temporarily dumb. Such words contained meaning, but their intent eluded him.

I shall go unto the rebellious that dwell in the dry land,'" Halleck intoned. "Someday I'll catch that man without a quotation and he'll look undressed," the Duke said.

And rulers are notoriously cynical where religions are concerned. Religion, too, is a weapon. What manner of weapon is religion when it becomes the government?

They were permitted their illusions. What a comfort. You could pretend your life was forever, that tomorrow would be better, that the gods in their heavens watched you with care. She recoiled from this lapse with disgust at herself. The unclouded eye was better, no matter what it saw.

Religion encysts past mythologies: guesses, hidden assumptions of trust in the universe, pronouncements made in search of personal power, all mingled with shreds of enlightenment. And always an unspoken commandment: Thou shalt not question!

There's no substitute for time in solving many problems,' Leto said. 'However, you can place too much reliance on it. I can accept no more delays.

What . . . does he plan?" "The Golden Path. He'll explain it to you later.