I am, as I have always been, of the opinion that while the niceties of normal moral constraints should be our guides, they must not be our masters.

Something in your voice tells me we approach the question of remuneration.

Empathize with stupidity and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot.

Mr Blawke always reminded me of a heron; I'm not sure why. Something to do with a sense of rapacious stillness, perhaps, and also the aura of one who knows time is on his side.

There's an old Sysan saying that the soup of life is salty enough without adding tears to it.

Torture is such a slippery slope; as soon as you allow a society or any legal system to do that, almost instantly you get a situation where people are being tortured for very trivial reasons.

My point has always been that, ever since the Industrial Revolution, science fiction has been the most important genre there is.

I remember being shocked when I discovered some of my school pals didn't have books in their homes. I thought it was like not having oxygen, or hot water.

I've always loved Scotland, and I'm not a huge fan of big cities, to be honest. I like them to dip into for a bit, but I'm not sure I would want to live in one again.

In theory, I work an eight-hour day and a five-day week which means I can socialise with my pals who mostly have normal jobs like teaching and computer programming.

Science fiction is trying to find alternative ways of looking at realities.

You are much larger than anything you encounter while you sleep. Everything that happens in dream takes place on a small stage in a corner of your mind.

Our emotions are like programs that function under the control of the operating system comprising of our beliefs.

There was a moment of tenderness between them, and for a moment he experienced the most rare, ridiculous emotion- hope.

Rule-following, legal precedence, and political consistency are not more important than right, justice and plain common-sense.

Science provides a much more satisfactory way to seek answers than does any religion.

The United States is the only advanced economy with no paid parental leave for either mothers or fathers.

I got a woman I'm loyal to above all things, above my career. She's profound to me. I'm quiet. I live in Kansas City. I work.

I want you to admit that there is such a thing as white privilege.

In Austria an editor who can write well is valuable, but he is not likely to remain so unless he can handle a sabre with charm.