Murray Leinster > Quotes

“We do not like the idea that any other creature can be better than we are. It is highly probable that if we ever have to face a superior race, we will die of it.”
― Murray Leinster, The Wailing Asteroid

“the whole purpose of civilization is to take the surprises out of life, so one can be bored to death”
― Murray Leinster, The Pirates of Ersatz

“You know the logics setup. You got a logic in your house. It looks like a vision receiver used to, only it's got keys instead of dials and you punch the keys for what you wanna get. It's hooked in to the tank, which has the Carson Circuit all fixed up with relays. Say you punch "Station SNAFU" on your logic. Relays in the tank take over an' whatever vision-program SNAFU is telecastin' comes on your logic's screen. Or you punch "Sally Hancock's Phone" an' the screen blinks an' sputters an' you're hooked up with the logic in her house an' if somebody answers you got a vision-phone connection. But besides that, if you punch for the weather forecast or who won today's race at Hialeah or who was mistress of the White House durin' Garfield's administration or what is PDQ and R sellin' for today, that comes on the screen too. The relays in the tank do it. The tank is a big buildin' full of all the facts in creation an' all the recorded telecasts that ever was made—an' it's hooked in with all the other tanks all over the country—an' everything you wanna know or see or hear, you punch for it an' you get it. Very convenient. Also it does math for you, an' keeps books, an' acts as consultin' chemist, physicist, astronomer, an' tea-leaf reader, with a "Advice to the Lovelorn" thrown in. The only thing it won't do is tell you exactly what your wife meant when she said, "Oh, you think so, do you?" in that peculiar kinda voice. Logics don't work good on women. Only on things that make sense. (1949)”
― Murray Leinster, A Logic Named Joe

“Hoddan began suddenly to see real possibilities. This was not a direct move toward the realization of his personal ambitions. But on the other hand, it wasn't a movement away from them. Hoddan suddenly remembered an oration he'd heard his grandfather give many, many times in the past.

"Straight thinkin'," the old man had said obstinately, "is a delusion. You think things out clear and simple, and you can see yourself ruined and your family starving any day! But real things ain't simple! They ain't clear! Any time you try to figure things out so they're simple and straightforward, you're goin' against nature and you're going to get 'em mixed up! So when something happens and you're in a straightforward, hopeless fix—why, you go along with nature! Make it as complicated as you can, and the people who want you in trouble will get hopeless confused and you can get out!”
― Murray Leinster

“...когда несходные культуры вступают в контакт, одна обычно должна подчиниться, иначе - война.
("Первый контакт")”
― Murray Leinster, First Contacts: The Essential Murray Leinster

“Then everything was normal again, except that the liner was speeding for the planet Krim at something more than thirty times the speed of light. Normality extended through all the galaxy so far inhabited by men. There were worlds on which there was peace, and worlds on which there was tumult. There were busy, zestful young worlds, and languid, weary old ones. From the Near Rim to the farthest of occupied systems, planets circled their suns, and men lived on them, and every man took himself seriously and did not quite believe that the universe had existed before he was born or would long survive his loss. Time passed. Comets let out vast streamers like bridal veils and swept toward and around their suns. Some of them—one in ten thousand, or twenty—were possibly seen by human eyes. The liner bearing Hoddan sped through the void. In time it made a landfall on the Planet Krim.”
― Murray Leinster, The Pirates of Ersatz

“Этические уравнения доказывают как дважды два, что вероятность и этика нераздельны, и если, приступая к любому делу, нарушить законы порядочности и чести, бессмысленно ждать, чтобы оно принесло плоды, достойные восхищения.
("Этические уравнения")”
― Murray Leinster, First Contacts: The Essential Murray Leinster

“eloptic radiation”
― Murray Leinster, The First Murray Leinster MEGAPACK ®

“Jenkins finished his writing career by writing novelizations of episodes of the science fiction television series Men Into Space, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants. Enjoy!”
― Murray Leinster, The First Murray Leinster MEGAPACK ®

“oxygen and water. But the water is in the form of high-pressure steam, which is used in engines. The jeep's fuel supplied steam for power and its ashes were water to drink and oxygen to breathe. Steam ran all motorized vehicles on Luna.”
― Murray Leinster, Operation: Outer Space

“Hoddan swore from the depths of a very considerable vocabulary. "You (censored)—(deleted)—(omitted)—(unprintability)", he roared.”
― Murray Leinster, The Pirates of Ersatz

“Когда рабы не смеют возразить господину, человек становится нетерпимым и к своим соплеменникам.
("Простое решение")”
― Murray Leinster

“...побеждённые кажутся победителям как бы не совсем людьми.
("Симбиоз")”
― Murray Leinster, First Contacts: The Essential Murray Leinster

“every man took himself seriously and did not quite believe that the universe had existed before he was born or would long survive his loss. Time”
― Murray Leinster, The Pirates of Ersatz

“Beside the camouflaged hangar two great horns, seeming to be enlarged megaphones, pointed toward the sky. Little wires ran from their points to telephone receivers strapped on the ears of intently listening men. They were microphones to detect the first sound of the musical humming of the black flyer. Teddy and Davis were be-furred and goggled, but had pushed up their goggles to take powerful glasses and scan the sky eagerly for a sight of their enemy. Mechanics stood ready at the propellers of the hidden fighting plane, prepared to spin the motors into roaring life the instant the two aviators had settled in their seats. From before the wide doors of the concealed hangar a broad expanse of beach ran smoothly down to the ocean. The little boat tossed and rolled. The men at the microphones listened intently. The others searched the sky. Straight down from a wisp of golden cloud a slim black speck fell toward the earth. At first, so high was it, even”
― Murray Leinster, The First Murray Leinster MEGAPACK ®

“...маленький человек куда охотнее, чем крупный мужчина, пустит в ход парализатор. И всегда будет стрелять наверняка.
("Звезда-Бродяга")”
― Murray Leinster, First Contacts: The Essential Murray Leinster

“Полезно обсуждать проблемы вслух.
Фелленден - Хромому Госсету
("Время умирать")”
― Murray Leinster

“It was not a conspicuously sane operation....”
― Murray Leinster

“TABLE OF CONTENTS The Sentimentalists, by Murray Leinster The Girls from Earth, by Frank Robinson The Death Traps of FX-31, by Sewell Wright Song in a minor key, by C.L. Moore Sentry of the Sky, by Evelyn E. Smith Meeting of the Minds, by Robert Sheckley Junior, by Robert Abernathy Death Wish, by Ned Lang Dead World, by Jack Douglas Cost of Living, by Robert Sheckley Aloys, by R.A. Lafferty”
― Murray Leinster, The Science Fiction Archive #1

“...люди действительно могут жить в мире друг с другом. ...могут жить и работать вместе. А те, кто хочет войны, могут только вместе умереть.
("Симбиоз")”
― Murray Leinster, First Contacts: The Essential Murray Leinster

“Берклианская философия... Я вижу, слышу и ощущаю ту действительность, в которой нахожусь. Поэтому она реальна для меня. Что я ощущаю, то и реально. Чего я не ощущаю... Вот оно! Вот как затормозить себя во времени! Когда ты прислушиваешься к тиканью часов, секунды кажутся длиннее! Если ты ещё больше обостришь своё восприятие, замечая всё более тривиальные вещи, ты ещё сильнее замедлишь свою скорость движения во времени. Вот он - первый шаг!.. Затем ты полностью отключаешься от настоящего времени. Настоящее реально потому, что оно значимо для нас. Вещь, которая ничего для тебя не значит, не имеет права на существование. Когда ты обрежешь все связи с настоящим, ты оставишь весь багаж позади. Когда это сделано, ты будешь готов к прыжку, к тому, чтобы покинуть эту реальность... И тогда ты сможешь заменить воспоминание о событии, которое произошло полсекунды назад, на ощущение этого события. И если тебе это удастся, ты победил! Ты начал путешествие назад во времени!
Родней - Хромому Госсету
("Время умирать")”
― Murray Leinster, First Contacts: The Essential Murray Leinster

“Darth.”
― Murray Leinster, The Pirates of Ersatz

“...гнусавые завывания, которые турки считали музыкой.
("Устройство и его дубль")”
― Murray Leinster, First Contacts: The Essential Murray Leinster

“Nothing," snapped Howell, "that a man can imagine is impossible!”
― Murray Leinster, The Machine That Saved The World

“...счастливые люди всегда бывают добрыми.
("Лекарство для юлита")”
― Murray Leinster, First Contacts: The Essential Murray Leinster

“smoke came streaking upward. Then other threads of white began just outside the landing grid. They rushed after the first. The original rockets seemed to dodge. Others came up. There was an intricate pattern formed by the smoke trails of rockets rising and other rockets following, and some trails”
― Murray Leinster, The First Murray Leinster MEGAPACK ®

“Множество связей удерживает нас на данном временном пути, мы крепко привязаны к своему поезду. И сначала мы должны сбросить все путы. Нам надо забыть обо всём. Мир должен потерять для нас реальность. Мы должны беспокоиться о нём не больше, чем о мираже в пустыне.
Фелленден - Хромому Госсету

...например, тебе не стоит гордиться тем, что мозгов у тебя побольше, чем у меня. Эта мысль привязывает тебя ко мне. А я-то нахожусь здесь, в том самом месте, из которого ты так хочешь побыстрее убраться. Ты должен забыть меня. Я не на том поезде, который тебе нужен!
Хромой Госсет - Роднею

("Время умирать")”
― Murray Leinster, First Contacts: The Essential Murray Leinster

“The hearts of the rich are hardened. The existence of the poor is a reproach to them." But”
― Murray Leinster, The Pirates of Ersatz

“Самый обычный парень, вроде нас с вами, если не считать выражения лица. У некоторых ребят из технического отдела такое - особенно у шишек. Довольно часто я замечал его у профессоров из колледжа - далеко не шишек, по правде говоря. А ещё у большинства химиков и огромного количества проповедников. Знаете, это что-то вроде: не желаю я с вами соревноваться, у меня полно дел поважнее. Вы мне не конкурент. Средний парень, получающий зарплату, даже не знает, как на себя такой вид напустить.
("Помехи")”
― Murray Leinster, First Contacts: The Essential Murray Leinster

“Сколько нужно денег, чтобы женщина была удовлетворена? Да на такой вопрос просто не существует ответа!
("Сэм, это ты")”
― Murray Leinster