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John Varley Quotes (1947-)
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About John Varley
John Herbert Varley (born August 9, 1947, in Austin, Texas) is an American science fiction author.
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βNews is, by definition, bad news.β
βIβm decrepit, but I ainβt senile.β
βThou shalt not screw around with things you do not understand.β
βIf only she could convince them, perhaps she could convince herself.β
βThe nice thing about being a pessimist is that bittersweet is an improvement.β
ββDonβt be such a pessimist.β
βAll time travelers are pessimists.ββ
βAll time travelers are pessimists.ββ
β"In five years, the penis will be obsolete," said the salesman.β
βI had kept a straight face under worse provocation, so I trust I did well enough then.β
βI found that it is much more pleasurable to read adventures than to live them.β
βThis was a killer. Quite possibly a soldier, though Lilo was not expert in mental diseases.β
βJust because Beethoven doesnβt sound like currently popular art doesnβt mean his music is worthless.β
βI hate inefficiency. Youβd have to look a long long ways before you found a better example of it than the press conference.β
βThey understood the basic principles of morals: that nothing is moral always, and anything is moral under the right circumstances.β
βBut now she was fifty-seven, and suddenly ancient. Soon she would be dead. Dead. You canβt get any more ancient than that.β
βLike plugging into life-support equipment, I view apologizing as a dangerous vice that can take over your whole life if you give in to it.β
βItβs unpleasant to find that what you had thought of as moral scruples suddenly seem not quite so important in the face of a stack of money.β
βThey had a good picture of the world as it is, not the rosy misconceptions so many other utopians labor under. They did the jobs that needed doing.β
βI sat on the bed and read the Gideon Bible until the food came. That Gideon sure had a weird sense of humor. Try βThe Book of Genesis.ββ
βMe, I donβt know if I was born a pessimist or had pessimism thrust upon me. What I do you know is that Iβve had ample reason to embrace the philosophy.β
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John Varley on Pessimism 2 quotes
βThe nice thing about being a pessimist is that bittersweet is an improvement.β
John Varley on Universe
John Varley on Chicago
John Varley on Heroes
βYou can define heroism any way you want to, but thatβs it for me. Itβs sticking in there no matter what. Whether itβs a pilot fighting his plane down through that last mile, or switchboard operators and doctors and nurses staying at their posts while the bombs blitz London, or even the dance band on the Titanic playing while the ship goes downβ¦ Itβs fulfilling your responsibilities.β
About John Varley
John Herbert Varley (born August 9, 1947, in Austin, Texas) is an American science fiction author.