It's easy to imagine ways the future can be ugly and depressing. It's harder, but more worthwhile, to imagine plausible ways we can make it better.

It's most presumptuous to believe we already know all the answers and will never get any more big surprises.

Don't mistake a good setup for a satisfying conclusion - many beginning writers end their stories when the real story is just ready to begin.

Resist the temptation to try to use dazzling style to conceal weakness of substance.

Blaming society makes it awfully easy for a person of weak character to shrug off his own responsibility for his actions.

Ideally, I'd like every issue to include a diverse group of stories that meet the qualifications sketched above, but covering a wide range of specific matter and flavour.

As for sticking strictly to presently known science, I will simply point out that we have already experienced at least two major revolutions in science in this century alone.

There may be something to the suggestion about the pace of technological change intimidating writers, though - it's been awfully hard to keep ahead of real developments.

I think the rising and falling popularity of areas like hard SF and far-future SF is, to a considerable extent, the same as any other fashion.

And, of course, some SF is set close enough to here and now that Anglo and European do apply. Since many of the writers come from those backgrounds, so does much of the fiction.

This means I must pay close attention to the writing, but equally so to the scientific background - which sometimes means doing fairly involved calculations.

The man who has faith in logic is always cuckolded by reality.

Finally, both of them fell asleep together with their limbs entwined in the eternal position of a lover's embrace.

The answer to the ancient question 'Why is there something rather than nothing?' would then be that ‘nothing’ is unstable.

Nature never deceives us it is we who deceive ourselves.

I think what 'The Hobbit' and Middle-earth deal in are quite universal and timeless themes of honour and love and friendship... so they're things that do resonate with people.

He that would have his virtue published, is not the servant of virtue, but glory.

It's hard to find a book that's safe to write. Because one always goes to dark or difficult places.

Many of us would probably be better fishermen if we did not spend so much time watching and waiting for the world to become perfect

Birds evolved from a small raptor like theropod.

The necessity of the times, more than ever, calls for our utmost circumspection, deliberation, fortitude, and perseverance.