David Brin

“Suspicion is the natural weapon of the weak.”

“The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty.”

“Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy... censorship.”

“Cynicism is an excuse for not trying.”

“The good old days were never that good, believe me. The good new days are today, and better days are coming tomorrow.”

“The worst of all deceptions is self-deception.”

“The worst tyrants are those who are convinced of their own rectitude.”

“Patriotism is a love of country. Nationalism is a hatred of others.”

“Ideologies are intellectual prisons.”

“If we are to have any hope of avoiding the mistakes of the past, we must understand them.”

“When has any such thing as 'fairness' ever been a factor in the history of the world?”

“A hero is someone who steps up when everyone else backs down.”

“To be human is to be endlessly fascinated by ourselves.”

“The essence of science is that it is self-correcting.”

“The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.”

“It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible.”

“If you have a hundred believers, you can change the world.”

“We are the children of a technological civilization. We are also its guardians.”

“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but a lot of ignorance is just as bad.”