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There are limits to power, as those who put their hopes in a constitution always discover.

Frank Herbert

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Frank Herbert
Age: 65 †
Born: 1920
Born: October 8
Died: 1986
Died: February 11
Author
Journalist
Novelist
Photographer
Science Fiction Writer
Writer
Tacoma
Washington
Frank Patrick Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert
Franklin Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert
Jr.
Always
Hopes
Discover
Constitution
Limits
Power

More quotes by Frank Herbert

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Constitutions become the ultimate tyranny, Paul said. They’re organized power on such a scale as to be overwhelming. The constitution is social power mobilized and it has no conscience. It can crush the highest and the lowest, removing all dignity and individuality. It has an unstable balance point and no limitations.
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All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible.
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Mankind has only one science… its the science of discontent.
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The successful writer listens to himself.
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When I need to identify rebels, I look for men with principles
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History is a constant race between invention and catastrophe.
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There's a lesson in every temptation.
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The most persistent principles in the universe are accident and error.
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Bureaucracy destroys initiative. There is little that bureaucrats hate more than innovation, especially innovation that produces better results than the old routines. Improvements always make those at the top of the heap look inept. Who enjoys appearing inept?
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The act of saying that things exist that cannot be described in words shakes a universe where words are the supreme belief.
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Love is a very ancient force, which served its purpose in its day but no longer is essential for the survival of the species.
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What is the son but an extension of the father?
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There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.
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Every civilization depends upon the quality of the individuals it produces.
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No more terrible disaster could befall your people than for them to fall into the hands of a Hero.
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What does a mirror look at?
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Show me a completely smooth operation and I'll show you someone who's covering mistakes. Real boats rock.
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One must cast off old agonies as a snake casts off its skin--only to grow a new set and accept all of their limitations.
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We are questioning more than the philosophy behind our dependence upon limited and limiting systems. We question the power structures that have grown up around such systems.
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Greatness is a transitory experience. It is never consistent. It depends in part upon the myth-making imagination of humankind. The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he or she is in. That person must reflect what is projected upon him or her.
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