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The worst mistake of first contact, made throughout history by individuals on both sides of every new encounter, has been the unfortunate habit of making assumptions. It often proved fatal.

David Brin

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David Brin
Age: 74
Born: 1950
Born: October 6
Astronomer
Astrophysicist
Novelist
Physicist
Science Fiction Writer
Scientist
Screenwriter
Writer
Glendale
California
USA
Glen David Brin
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Making
Throughout
Individual
Contact
Assumptions
History
Individuals
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Firsts
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Encounters

More quotes by David Brin

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But it is a delightful challenge to try to depict interesting aliens.
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You don't have conversations with microprocessors. You tell them what to do, then helplessly watch the disaster when they take you literally!
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In historical fact, all of history's despots, combined, never managed to get things done as well as this rambunctious, self-critical civilization of free and sovereign citizens, who have finally broken free of worshipping a ruling class and begun thinking for themselves. Democracy can seem frustrating and messy at times, but it delivers.
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Self-awareness is probably overrated. A complex, self-regulating system doesn't need it in order to be successful, or even smart.
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Only people with full stomachs become environmentalists.
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Prison for the crime of puberty -- that was how secondary school had seemed.
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Predicting has a spotty record in science fiction. I've had some failures. On the other hand, I also predicted the fall of the Berlin Wall and the rise of fundamentalist Islam... and I'm not happy to be right in all of those cases
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With gritty action and realistic science, Peter Watts brings to life a dark and vivid world.
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Self-righteous people can talk themselves into forgetting they are part of a civilization. They can then feed on that culture, bringing it down. It's happened many times in the past. It could happen to us.
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But honestly, if you do a rigorous survey of my work, I'll bet you'll find that biology is a theme far more often than physical science.
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The fundamental premise of sci-fi is not spaceships and lasers - it's that children can learn from the mistakes of their parents.
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I like to be surprised. Fresh implications and plot twists erupt as a story unfolds. Characters develop backgrounds, adding depth and feeling. Writing feels like exploring
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Seldom does a storytelling talent come along as potent and fully mature as Mike Brotherton. His complex characters take you on a voyage that is both fiercely credible and astonishingly imaginative. This is Science Fiction.
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I would normally never set out to write a trilogy.
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My first duty to write a gripping yarn. Second is to convey credible characters who make you feel what they feel. Only third comes the idea.
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It's how creativity works. Especially in humans. For every good idea, ten thousand idiotic ones must first be posed, sifted, tried out, and discarded. A mind that's afraid to toy with the ridiculous will never come up with the brilliantly original.
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When I begin a book, I inevitably discover many things along the way, about the characters, their past histories and the political intrigues that surround them. This discovery process is vital, and I would not prejudice it by deciding too much in advance
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Cultural contamination that is directed outward is always seen as ‘enlightenment.'
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Change is the very fabric of our time.
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If you believe you can make a living as a writer, you already have enough ego.
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