Brian Aldiss Quotes (1925-2017)

Explore our curated collection of the most famous and impactful Brian Aldiss quotes.

“She had tried to love him.”

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“The quest for pattern is a basic instinct.”

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instinctpatternquest

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“Keep violence in the mind where it belongs.”

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violencebelongswhere

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“The ability to change should not be despised.”

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despisedabilitychange

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“Carnage added to carnage does not equal peace.”

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carnageaddedequal

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“It’s the duty of men in office not to be misled.”

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officemisledduty

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“The day of the android has dawned.”

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“I kill from conviction, not to pass a personality quiz.”

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“Never, never let action become a substitute for thought.”

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“The greatest human achievement is to fulfil one’s destiny.”

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“The only sort of tasks worth being set were impossible ones.”

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“I’ve no objection to morality, except that it’s obsolete.”

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“If adolescence did not exist it would be unnecessary to invent it!”

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“Insane? To disobey a law of the universe was impossible, not insane.”

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“To be a standard shape is not all in life. To know is also important.”

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“Only a madman would claim that there is some thing unreal about reality.”

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“Relax, enjoy yourself. Have another drink. It’s patriotic to overconsume.”

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“Man was an accident on this world or it would have been made better for him!”

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“Why should you be confused just because you come from a confused civilization?”

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“Whatever creativity is, it is in part a solution to a problem.”

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creativitywhateversolution

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“An overcrowded world is the ideal place in which to be lonely.”

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“One of the characteristics of age was that all avenues of talk led backward in time.”

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“However you envisage your role in life, all you can do is perform it as best you can.”

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“You are like all cruel men, sentimental; you are like all sentimental men; squeamish.”

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“At least the mentor’s point was made: loneliness was psychological, not statistical.”

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Brian Aldiss Quotes by Topic

Find exactly what you are looking for by browsing this categorized list of Brian Aldiss quotes by topic.

Brian Aldiss on Science fiction 2 quotes

“Science fiction is no more written for scientists than ghost stories are written for ghosts.”

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writtenscientistsscience

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View all 2 quotes on Science fiction →

Brian Aldiss on Happiness

“Happiness was simply something that occurred in a well-regulated life.”

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wellregulatedhappinesssomething

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Brian Aldiss on Insanity

“Only a madman would claim that there is some thing unreal about reality.”

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realitymadmanunreal

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Brian Aldiss on Difficulties

“If we can see our difficulties, there is a way of resolving them, or the hope of a way.”

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difficultiesresolvinghope

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Brian Aldiss on Autumn

“It was autumn, and he always liked autumn. Something about early autumn, when the leaves began to flee before a northern breeze and the days shortened, gave an extra edge to existence.”

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autumnsomethingshortened

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Brian Aldiss on Childhood

“When childhood dies, its corpses are called adults and they enter society, one of the politer names of Hell. That is why we dread children, even if we love them. They show us the state of our decay.”

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childhoodchildrencorpses

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Brian Aldiss on Arrogance

“All the time, he hoped they would understand that his arrogance masked only shyness—or did he hope that it was his shyness which masked arrogance? He did not know. Who could presume to know? The one quality holds much of the other. Both refuse to come forward and share.”

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arrogancemaskedunderstand

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What Brian Aldiss Said About Others

Discover personal opinions Brian Aldiss shared regarding contemporaries.

Brian Aldiss on H. G. Wells

“Wells is the Prospero of all the brave new worlds of the mind, and the Shakespeare of science fiction.”

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shakespeareprosperoscience

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