Isaac Asimov was an American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. He was known for his works of science fiction and popular science. He was a creative writer who has written or edited more than 500 books. He was born on January 2 1920, in Petrovichi, Russia.
Asimov was first brought to the United States at the age of three. He started attending the New York public schools from the age of 5. Graduating at the age of 15, he attended the City College of New York before accepting a scholarship at Seth Low Junior College. Initially a zoology major, Asimov shifted his major to chemistry after his first semester. He did complete his Bachelor of Science degree at Morning side Heights campus in 1939 as the Seth Low Junior College closed in 1936.
When World War broke out, he started working at the Naval Aviation Experimental Station in Philadelphia and several other authors. In 1946, a bureaucratic error caused his military allotment to be stopped. He served for almost nine months before receiving an honorable discharge on July 26, 1946. Later on, he took a PhD in chemistry from Columbia in 1948. He then joined the faculty of Boston University, with which he remained associated.
In 1939, he began contributing stories to science fiction magazines. He did sell his first story, "Marooned off Vesta" to Amazing Stories. He was closely associated with John W. Campbell Jr., who became a mentor to Asimov. His book "Nightfall" is regarded as one of the greatest short stories. This book made him one of the best science fiction writers. In 1940, he started writing his robot series. He also wrote several mysteries and fantasies, and also nonfiction.
In 1959, after a recommendation from Arthur Obermayor, who was a friend and a scientist, Asimov was approached by DARPA to join his team. But he declined because he thought his ability to write freely would be impaired. However, he did submit a paper to DARPA titled "On Creativity" which explained how government-based projects could encourage members to think more creatively.
In 1977, Asimov suffered a heart attack. Later in December 1983, he had triple bypass surgery at NYU Medical Centre, during which he contracted HIV from a blood transfusion. His HIV status was not publicized for a long time. He died in Manhattan on April 6, 1992, and was cremated.
Following are some of the Isaac Asimov Quotes on Death, Ignorance, Patriotism, Education and Science.
The true delight is in the finding out rather than in the knowing.
To find out something means to discover something new. It means to become aware of the thing you didn't know about. It is the process of finding, realizing, and learning new things in life.
Asimov says that the true joy is in uncovering new things rather than becoming aware of them. When you start finding things, you learn things that you didn't know. You start to make deliberate efforts to know things. And in this process, you start understanding things and uncover new findings.
Knowing means, the thing is already discovered by someone, and you just get it ready-made. But in this way, you just follow it, which is always discovered earlier. You do not learn anything new.
So, start discovering things as the process itself is exciting.
Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right.
Morals are like a lesson that can be obtained from a story and experience. It is what you believe to be right and wrong.
Every person can have different morals in life. Principles are your ideas about right and wrong. It is generally the way you should act and treat people. When you do something right, you should never let your ideas get in your way.
If your morals come in the way, then you surely cannot do anything. Morals are not something that should affect when you do something right.
Therefore, when you do something right, do not let morals affect you.
Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.
Life is something that has lots of twists and turns. It is a journey where you need to expect the worst. It is something where you do not know what is going to happen next. No matter how much you prepare, life gets back to you. It hits you when you are at your worst.
Death is the destruction of things. It is the permanent end of something and a process from where no one can ever return. It is the power that destroys life. An irreversible process where someone loses their existence as a person.
Life and death are both related to each other. Life is amusing, and death is something soothing. The transformation between both is infuriating. Death involves a lot of emotions as when a person dies, it affects the people around them. And that is what makes the changeover difficult.
In life, unlike chess, the game continues after checkmate.
Chess is a recreational game where you need two players to begin the game. This game is a royal game because of its recognition among nobles. It is something that needs lots of tricks and mental power.
Asimov says that in life, you need to continue living even if something happens in your life. You need to start living your life no matter what life gives you. You have to live because life will not wait for you to begin.
Chess is a game where after checkmate, the game ends, but when life gives you a check, you have to start afresh. You have to start walking a new path and begin everything from one.
Therefore, when life gives you a shock, give it back to life.
Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.
The assumption is a thing that is accepted as truth or something which is about to happen. It is something which you believe even without any proof.
Asimov says that whatever you assume acts as a window on the world. They are something that starts to appear as small as an aperture. He says that you need to swab it clean from time to time.
If you start ignoring the window, then it will start blocking the light of your dreams and goals. And once it happens, you will be afraid enough even to begin things in your life.
So, once you begin assuming, start wiping it with your positivity and let your path take you to great heights.
Continue reading some more Isaac Asimov Quotes....
It is the obvious which is so difficult to see most of the time. People say 'It's as plain as the nose on your face.' But how much of the nose on your face can you see, unless someone holds a mirror up to you?
It is a known fact that we humans cannot see the visible things to our own eyes. Sometimes we cannot see the things that are plain and clear.
Asimov says that it is quite evident that it is tough to notice things most of the time. People say that it is clear as the nice on your face. But how many of you can see the nose with your own eyes. And if you want to look at your nose, you need to have a mirror.
So, start understanding the things which are pretty evident to your eyes and take action when you really can.
People think of education as something they can finish.
Education is a process where people of any age can start learning. No matter what your age, you can start when you want to.
This quote says that education is a lengthy process that is like your life. As long as you have the desire to learn, you can always start. It is a never-ending process where you can always grasp new things in life.
It is something that never ends. It is not something which finishes at a particular age. Rather it is something which you can kick off when you need it. Therefore, keep on learning until you want to.
The easiest way to solve a problem is to deny it exists.
Problem is a matter or situation where something is harmful and you need to deal with. It is like a task, situation, or a person difficult to control.
Asimov says that when you face any problem in life, the easiest way to solve it is to think that the problem doesn't exist. It means that you should not ignore the problem in life but think that it is not present.
If you start forgetting about problems and do things which are needed to be done, then the problem itself becomes invisible. And when the problem starts to become invisible, you should live your life the way you want to.
To succeed, planning alone is insufficient. One must improvise as well.
Planning is the process of thinking about the activities that you need to do to achieve a certain goal in your life. This is the first and foremost step you need to take to achieve your objective.
The quote says that planning is the start of the dream you have always wanted to pursue. But if you keep on doing preparations even when it fails, then it is of no use.
Only planning does not help us to be victorious in life. Planning alone does not help us to reach our goals. Instead, you need to start improvising because you need to do certain things on the spot. And the only improvisation helps to make things better in your life.
It has been my philosophy of life that difficulties vanish when faced boldly.
The difficulty is the state or condition of being difficult. It is a thing that is hard to accomplish, deal with, or understand. It is a situation that is difficult or dangerous to give out.
Asimov says that his philosophy in life is quite different from all other people in life. He says that his belief in life is that his problems start to fade away when he faces them with courage. This quite a lesson for we people as we keep on procrastinating problems until it confronts us.
We people feel nervous and confused when problems occur in our life. He advises that difficulties will keep on attacking us, but we need to face them with courage.
Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.
Writing is an art that not everyone can do so. It is something that should come from within.
Asimov says that writing is what keeps him sane. Writing is what helps him to focus his mind on thinking more. It helps to clarify our thoughts and challenge our minds to construct our thoughts into something more interesting.
It sure seems a task which we need to do. But writing does give a new meaning to our life. So, whatever age you are at, start writing your thoughts as it does have the power to transform your life.
Human beings sometimes find a kind of pleasure in nursing painful emotions, in blaming themselves without reason or even against reason.
Humans always have sympathy for people who are in pain. They start to look out for people when they are hurt.
Asimov says that we humans sometimes find our happiness in taking care of people in pain. They start to look after people when they are hurt and then start to blame themselves even when they do not have to.
They start feeling bad for the things that take place in other's life. Everything starts to become complicated, and then they feel depressed in life. So, even when you care for others, stop taking the blame as it will only make you feel pain.
Few more Isaac Asimov Quotes....
And above all things, never think that you're not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. My belief is that in life people will take you at your own reckoning.
We humans have a habit to start forming an opinion about ourselves. Even before they start doing things, they form an opinion about themselves.
Asimov says that above everything in life, you should never underestimate yourself. You should never have a negative opinion about yourself. The thought itself should never come into your mind.
He says that he believes that in life, people will always take you the way they want. You should never judge yourself according to what others say about you. The opinion of others should not matter to you.
Therefore, start valuing yourself as no one else will do it.
Nothing has to be true, but everything has to sound true.
A fact or belief that is accepted as true is what truth means. It is the quality of being true. It is a belief that changes according to the people.
Asimov says that nothing has to be true in this world as truth is different for every person. Truth keeps on changing according to the person. The thing which seems to be true for you will not be for someone else.
Truth is something that should be felt as there is nothing true. It should be something which you can convince others or something which you can convince. So, rather than searching for truth, do what you truly believe in.
You are the only one responsible for your own wants.
Desire is the emotion of longing or hoping for a person, situation, or a thing. When a person wants something in his life, he starts to put all his efforts into it.
Asimov says that you are the only one accountable for all your wants. You cannot blame any person if the path to achieve your needs becomes difficult as you need to understand that nothing comes easy in life. You have to pay the price for everything, which also includes your needs.
When things get tougher, stop blaming the situations in your life. Instead, start exploring new ways and, in the process, start discovering the new you.
People sometimes mistake their own shortcomings for those of society and want to fix the Cities because they don't know how to fix themselves.
We humans have a habit of blaming someone else for the situation they face in their life. Life surely gets tough as we move forward but instead of blaming, start fixing.
People always make mistakes in their life which is quite a natural thing. But to avoid their fault, they start blaming society. They tend to ignore the flaws in them and want to fix society.
In this way, they start to cover their limitations and blame mankind. This is a common tendency as they do not know how to fix themselves. When they ignore their defects, they do feel it as their strength. And that is what needs to be fixed.
Therefore, start knowing your flaws instead of avoiding them embrace them with open arms and try to fix them.
Night will always be a time of fear and insecurity, and the heart will sink with the sun.
The night is a period from sunset to sunrise. It is the time when almost everything ends in our life. The time in which we often wake up our dreams.
Asimov says that night is a time where people will often have fear and certain insecurity. It is because when our day ends, we often replay the events of the day at night. During the night, we often have all those fears which are about to eat us up in the morning.
All the fear and anxiety come to you when you put your head to rest. But when the night ends, so do the pain. He says that you will start feeling sad or disappointed with all the insecurities in you, which goes down with the sun.
Therefore, start putting an end to all your fears.
It is change, continuing change, inevitable change that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is but the world as it will be.
Change is the process where something is made different, modified, or altered. It is to replace with something else. The replacement is either of the same kind or with something new.
Asimov says that it is only changing- the uninterrupted one. Change is unavoidable, and that is the controlling factor in society today.
A practical decision cannot be made without considering how the world is changing and will keep on changing. So, think about it and decide accordingly.
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
Violence is the behavior that involves physical force intended to hurt or to damage something. It is a strength of emotion that or of a destructive natural force.
Asimov says that violence is the last exile of something amateurish. One should not resort to violence at any cost as it is what you should do until there is nothing else to do.
Brutality should be used when you have no other means to convince yourself. Therefore, consider violence as a last option.
I write for the same reason I breathe - because if I didn't, I would die.
Asimov was a person who loved to write. In his career, he has written books of various genres. He cared for his books more than anything else in his life.
He says that he does write for the same reason he breathes. If he doesn't write, then he feels like he would die. It shows that he loved writing, like his breathing. As a breath is important for a person to live, it is the same for him.
Writing is something that keeps him sane. It is something that keeps him alive.
Life is like a movie, where you need to write your ending. And if you want a happy ending, that depends on where you want to end. So, start living and keep believing.
