Isaac Asimov
“Books ... hold within them the gathered wisdom of humanity, the collected knowledge of the world's thinkers, the amusement and excitement built up by the imaginations of brilliant people.”
“I made up my mind long ago to follow one cardinal rule in all my writing — to be clear.”
“The history of science is full of revolutionary advances that required small insights that anyone might have had, but that, in fact, only one person did.”
“Generals are, as a matter of course, allowed to be far more idiotic than ordinary human beings are permitted to be.”
“If you're going to write a story, avoid contemporary references. They date a story and they have no staying power.”
“[S]cientific writing is abhorrently stylized and places a premium on poor quality.”
“There is no way of being almost funny or mildly funny or fairly funny or tolerably funny. You are either funny or not funny and there is nothing in between.”
“Straightforward preaching spoils the effectiveness of a story. If you can't resist the impulse to improve your fellow human beings, do it subtly.”
“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.”
“Science fiction writers foresee the inevitable, and although problems and catastrophes may be inevitable, solutions are not.”
“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.”
“Writing is thinking through my fingers.”
“People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.”
“I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them.”
“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'”
“Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right.”
“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”