Eric Steiner

“I thought about that for a long moment. I thought of the college applications I started to fill out, but never finished. “I would work for the forestry service as a forester.” “Doing what? Looking at trees all day?” “Yes,” I said. “I’ve seen enough ocean to last a lifetime. I’d be happy alone in the woods, watching for forest fires. God, I would give anything. That would be beautiful.”
― Matt Dinniman, Carl's Doomsday Scenario

“On the world stage, the Declaration of Peace was completed and signed in 2039 by every nation on the planet except for Sri Lanka. Tensions rose around the world as the Coalition of Nations grew uneasy with the silence of the secretive island. A decision was made to send every available tank, warship, drone and soldier to invade the uncooperative nation. The attack, known as the World Wide War, lasted only two minutes and left the entirety of Sri Lanka in ruin. It was later discovered that Sri Lanka had never been invited to the Declaration of Peace Summit, as their communications had been destroyed weeks prior by a record-breaking hurricane season. After the defeat of the terroristic island, the world rejoiced, entering the Age of Peace.”
― Marquis Aaron, ROOK

“Any race which can't rise above its own brutal instincts will wipe itself out long before it learns to bridge the interstellar gulf.”
― Peter Watts, Blindsight

“That’s the funny thing about arriving somewhere, Vin,” he said with a wink. “Once you’re there, the only thing you can really do is leave again.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn: The Final Empire