Brian Herbert Quotes & Sayings

My wife noticed that I wrote really good complaint letters about faulty products and that I could get anything I wanted out of these big corporations, and she said that I was a good writer and that I should go to my dad and ask him for help. — Brian Herbert

Music should make the spirit soar, take the breath away, touch the soul. Your work was just ... pleasant tones, adequately performed. — Brian Herbert

The purpose of argument is to change the nature of truth. - Bene Gesserit Precept I — Brian Herbert

Once you have explored a fear, it becomes less terrifying. Part of courage comes from extending our knowledge. — Brian Herbert

Weapons come in an infinite variety of shapes and designs. Some look exactly like people. — Brian Herbert

Jool Noret, we admire you. You are the scourge of Omnius." "I am merely doing my job. — Brian Herbert

Freedom is an elusive concept. Some men hold themselves prisoner even when they have the power to do as they please and go where they choose, while others are free in their hearts, even as shackles restrain them. — Brian Herbert

Life is filled with tests, one after another, and if you don't recognize them, you are certain to fail the most important ones. — Brian Herbert

Fear invites aggression - do not show it to a predator. — Brian Herbert

Religion is the emulation of the adult by the child. Religion is the
encystment of past beliefs: mythology, which is guesswork, the hidden
assumptions of trust in the universe, those pronouncements which men have made
in search of personal power ... all mingled with shreds of enlightenment.
And always the ultimate unspoken commandment is "Thou shalt not question!" But
we do anyway. We break that commandment as a matter of course. The work to
which we have set ourselves is the liberating of the imagination, the
harnessing of imagination to humankind's deepest sense of creativity. — Brian Herbert

The tough philosophy of Ginaz taught that there were no accidents, no excuses for failure. Every event was the result of a sequence of actions. Intentions were irrelevant to actual outcomes. — Brian Herbert

We could be dreaming all the time, but we do not perceive those dreams while we are awake because consciousness (like the sun obscuring stars during the day) is much too brilliant to allow the unconscious content so much definition. — Brian Herbert

Let the future remain uncertain, for that is the canvas to receive our desires. — Brian Herbert

It is astonishing how foolish humans can be in groups, especially when they follow their leader without question. — Brian Herbert

Simplicity is the most difficult of all concepts. — Brian Herbert

When we try to conceal our innermost drives, our entire being screams betrayal. — Brian Herbert

Your outrageous and reckless chaos is the only reason you are able to beat me in any strategy game," Seurat said. "It certainly has nothing to do with your innate skills. — Brian Herbert

Even victories take their toll on a man. — Brian Herbert

My father lied to me! He distorted the events, taking credit, hiding the extent of the brutality and suffering - even Omnius knew it. On the other hand, Serena had told him the truth. — Brian Herbert

Vor stared for a moment at his own reflection in the familiar mirrored face, remembering some of the stupid jokes his friend had told and the innovative military games they had played together. Seurat had never harmed him in any way. — Brian Herbert

In 'Sidney's Comet,' thanks to all the consumerism, all the garbage had to be put in deep space, even though we're not supposed to litter the cosmos - that was an environmental message. Although it was funny, it had an important message. — Brian Herbert

No person can ever know everything that is in the heart of another. We are
all Face Dancers in our souls. — Brian Herbert

There is no man so blind as one who has made up his mind. — Brian Herbert

The greatest and most important problems of life cannot be solved. They can
only be outgrown. — Brian Herbert

There is no reality
only our own order imposed on everything. — Brian Herbert

I have seen into the heart of the universe. — Brian Herbert

Erasmus was like Serena in a sense: he frequently needed to prune and weed the human race in his own garden. — Brian Herbert

Wounds make better lessons than lectures. — Brian Herbert

Love is the highest achievement to which any human may aspire. It is an emotion that encompasses the full depth of heart, mind, and soul. — Brian Herbert

Poritrin nobles professed to follow gentle, bucolic Navachristianity, but their core beliefs did not extend to their daily lives. They had their festivals, and embraced religious trappings, but the Poritrin upper classes did little to demonstrate their true faith. — Brian Herbert

Even the most complex math can be broken into a sequence of trivial steps. Each of these slaves has been trained to complete specific equations in an assembly-line fashion. When taken together, this collective human mind is capable of remarkable feats. Holtzman surveyed the room as if he expected his solvers to give him a resounding cheer. Instead, they studied their work with heavy-lidded eyes, moving through equation after equation with no comprehension of reasons or larger pictures. — Brian Herbert

In preservation canisters, so they could be installed into any cymek walker. Now — Brian Herbert

Would it ... would it be possible for me to speak with them?" "No," the secondary said. In his exalted position, Iblis Ginjo was unaccustomed to hearing such a response. — Brian Herbert

Who is truly anyone? Every person is illusion to some degree. — Brian Herbert

Not all accidents are what they seem. Victims do no even know why they have been chosen. — Brian Herbert

She did not want conversation or company, just the presence of other people; she hoped the background drone of their lives would fill the empty spaces in her mind. — Brian Herbert

The revolutionary environmentalists twist science to get what they want, saying they're using the "best available science" to determine public policy, when in fact these are code words for cherry picking from a repertoire of biased science studies. Arguing with the Greenies' faulty science is like shouting into the wind, because they will disregard or minimize evidence that disputes any position they are trying to assert. Your points will be ignored, and you will be demonized. — Brian Herbert

Aristotle raped reason. He implanted in the dominant schools of philosophy the attractive belief that there can be discrete separation between mind and body. This led quite naturally to corollary delusions such as the one that power can be understood without applying it, or that joy is totally removable from unhappiness, that peace can exist in the total absence of war, or that life can be understood without death.
- ERASMUS, Corrin Notes — Brian Herbert

A requirement of creativity is that it contributes to change. Creativity keeps the creator alive. - FRANK HERBERT, unpublished notes — Brian Herbert

The desert sorted the faithful from imposters, but the city did not seem to know the difference, and actually rewarded the impure. — Brian Herbert

Vor laughed, proud of his place here. He quoted what he'd been taught all his life. I am the pinnacle of humanity - a trustee of Omnius, the son of General Agamemnon. — Brian Herbert

So I have failed you?" "Not at all. Your human frailties are not your fault. — Brian Herbert

The only guarantee in life is death, and the only guarantee in death is its shocking unpredictability. — Brian Herbert

Even the poorest House can be rich in loyalty. Allegiance that must be purchased by bribes or wages is hollow and flawed, and could break at the worst possible moment. Allegiance that comes from the heart, though, is stronger than adamantium and more valuable than purest melange. — Brian Herbert

My Sihaya,' he said as he held her, 'I have loved you for five thousand years. — Brian Herbert

The universe is our picture. Only the immature imagine the cosmos to be what
they think it is. — Brian Herbert

She suspected that Iblis Ginjo was a dangerous, duplicitous man, but saw no one more qualified to take the Jihad where it needed to go. For his own reasons, he did, after all, espouse the same cause as her Sorceresses: the utter annihilation of thinking machines. Iblis would, however, require the closest sort of scrutiny and would have to be handled with excruciating care. — Brian Herbert

We moved 23 times before I was out of high school! — Brian Herbert

Humans are different in private than in the presence of others. While the private persona merges into the social persona in varying degrees, the union is never complete. Something is always held back. — Brian Herbert

Some say it is better to rule in hell than serve in heaven. That is a defeatist attitude. I intend to rule everywhere, not just in Hell.
- General Agamemnon
New Memoirs — Brian Herbert

The robot responded with surprising sarcasm. I am aware of the various bodily orifices humans possess. Therefore, I invite you to take a power tool and insert it where the - — Brian Herbert

As mortal humans we are born with a death sentence anyway, so what difference does a little poison make? Why not take a chance you will survive the ordeal and make something significant of your life? ... p330 — Brian Herbert

Anything imagined can be made real ... given sufficient genius. — Brian Herbert

The narrow mind erects stubborn barriers," her mother had once told her. "But against those barriers, words are formidable weapons. — Brian Herbert

The Baron felt cold inside, certain that even the most careful manipulations would not stand up to the close scrutiny of these demonic auditors. — Brian Herbert

To keep us together as a society, it is best to have an enemy. We are the in-group, and they are the out-group. No matter how you look at it, even from the opposite point of reference -- theirs -- the leadership of each side consolidates its power because of a threat from the other. Why, then would either of us want to annihilate our sworn enemy? On a certain level it makes no sense, does it? We thrive because they thrive, and vice versa. It is a form of detente, in which we define each other's existence. This presumes, however, that each side is sane. — Brian Herbert

Every hammer has the innate capacity to strike a nail. Every human mind has the innate capacity for greatness. But not every hammer is properly used, nor is every human mind. — Brian Herbert

Seurat's flowmetal face gleamed in the lights from his update ship's cockpit. Then I regret having been such an excellent teacher. — Brian Herbert

Address the solvable first, instructs the father by way of teaching his son crisis management. That way, he counsels, there is less distraction to tackle more daunting issues. — Brian Herbert

Norma looked at him, puzzled. "Someone else to do the mathematics?"
"Of course!" Holtzman brushed iron-gray hair away from his face and adjusted his white robe. "You're an *idea* person, like me. We want you to develop concepts, not bother with full-fledged implementation. You should not waste time performing tedious arithmetic. Any halfway-trained person can do that. It's what slaves are for. — Brian Herbert

There's so much overlapping in science fiction. — Brian Herbert

The first step in innovation is to know that a thing can be created. After that, the rest is a matter of detail. — Brian Herbert

Look inside yourself and you can see the universe. — Brian Herbert

If you surrender, you have already lost. If you refuse to give up, though, no
matter the odds against you, at least you have succeeded in trying. — Brian Herbert

We must face our responsibilities regardless of whether we get what we want. — Brian Herbert

The expectations of civilized society should afford all the protection a person needs. But that armor is rendered as thin as a tissue when one is dealing with the uncivilized. -Bene Gesserit Archives — Brian Herbert

Heroic leaders often made mistakes ... mistakes that were amplified by the number of followers who were held in thrall by charisma. (Introduction to Dune Messiah) — Brian Herbert

It is easy to look backward and cast blame on others, but more difficult to gaze ahead and take responsibility for your own decisions and your own future. - GRIFFIN HARKONNEN, final dispatch from Arrakis It — Brian Herbert

Facts mean nothing when they are preempted by appearance. Do not underestimate the power of impression over reality. — Brian Herbert

Savant, doesn't it strike you as somewhat ... hypocritical that we fight to keep humans free from the domination of machines, while at the same time some of our own League Worlds use slaves? — Brian Herbert

Written words, if carefully laid down, represent the civilized ideal of reason. — Brian Herbert

My child, human love is an infinite resource. No matter how many times it is expended, whether stolen or given away, love can grow again - like a flower from a bulb - and fill your heart. — Brian Herbert

In Dune and Dune Messiah, he [Frank Herbert] was cautioning against pride and overconfidence, that form of narcissism described in Greek tragedies that invariably led to the great fall. — Brian Herbert

We create our own future by our own beliefs, which control our actions. A
strong enough belief system, a sufficiently powerful conviction, can make
anything happen. This is how we create our consensus reality, including our
gods. — Brian Herbert

If we give up our humanity to fight the machines, Zufa, then Omnius has already won! — Brian Herbert

What is this Love that so many speak of with such apparent familiarity? Do
they truly comprehend how unattainable it is? Are there not as many
definitions of Love as there are stars in the universe? — Brian Herbert

We are animals, yet are expected to be so much more. Although honor requires us to make altruistic decisions, even acting for the benefit of other people keeps coming back to self-interest, no matter how much one attempts to conceal it. — Brian Herbert

We are trained to believe and not to know. — Brian Herbert

The Unknown surrounds us at any given moment. That is where we seek knowledge. — Brian Herbert

Arrakis is ours because we have taken it," Selim announced. "We have learned to survive under the harshest circumstances, without depending upon the benevolence of strangers or trade with offworld intruders. — Brian Herbert

But the Butlerians turn fear into violence and panic into a weapon. By creating imaginary problems and raising the specter of nonexistent enemies, they transform common people into a wild herd that destroys everything they do not understand. — Brian Herbert

Any school for free citizens must begin by teaching distrust, not trust. It must teach questioning, not acceptance of stock answers. — Brian Herbert

Absolute rules are for unthinking people. Sheep require fences - humans do not. — Brian Herbert

Dreams are as simple or as complicated as the dreamer. - LIET-KYNES, — Brian Herbert

I'm a thinker. That is what I do, in great depth and detail, every waking moment of the day. I like to believe it's worthwhile. And yet, I can't help but recall something ... said to me once when I was young: "All of these things with which we occupy ourselves don't amount to much in the cosmic scale of things, do they? No matter how extensively we ponder any particular topic, there is really very little there"
Gilbertus Albans, Reflections in the Mirror of the Mind — Brian Herbert

An ignorant friend is worse than a learned foe. — Brian Herbert

Each of us influences the actions of the people we know. - XAVIER HARKONNEN, — Brian Herbert

Just repeating a statement often and with great vehemence does not make it a fact, and no amount of repetition can make a rational person believe it. — Brian Herbert

How will I be remembered by my children? This is the true measure of a man. — Brian Herbert

Seeker, who says religion is the way to God? — Brian Herbert

Opportunities are a tricky crop, with tiny flowers that are difficult to see and even more difficult to harvest. — Brian Herbert

It's so much more interesting to study a ... damaged world. I find it difficult to learn anything in a place that's too civilized. — Brian Herbert

Politics is a tangled web, an intricate labyrinth, an ever-shifting kaleidoscopic pattern. And it is not pretty. — Brian Herbert

A man may fight the greatest enemy, take the longest journey, survive the most
grievous wound -- and still be helpless in the hands of the woman he loves. — Brian Herbert

As a human being, I was born on the brink of personal destruction, and I have spent my life dancing along the edge of that cliff. — Brian Herbert

My grandfather was a police officer. He taught Dad about lie detectors and police interrogation methods, so Dad got this old World War II lie detector and used it on us regularly. He was obsessed with the truth. — Brian Herbert

Looking closely at de Vries, he added, 'You are a very ugly man, Piter. Even with my disease, I'm still prettier than you. — Brian Herbert

All persons are contained within a single individual, just as all time is in a moment, and the entire universe is in a grain of sand. — Brian Herbert

You carve wounds upon my flesh and write there in salt! — Brian Herbert

Let pressure pass over and through you. That way you can't be harmed by it. — Brian Herbert