Murray Leinster quotes - page 2

This was the second time in his life he'd been on a horse. It was two too many. (Murray Leinster)
Desolate and dreary as the little town was in the world of today, it was infinitely more liveable than the same town of nearly two centuries before. There had been much progress in how to do things. It was regrettable that there was less progress in knowledge of things worth doing. View quote
Murray Leinster
"You are wonderful!” she said with conviction. "I used to cherish that illusion myself,” said Hoddan. View quote
Murray Leinster
From the Near Rim to the farthest of occupied systems, planets circled their suns, and men lived on them, and every man took himself seriously and did not quite believe that the universe had existed before he was born or would long survive his loss. View quote
Murray Leinster
A practical man can always make what he wants to do look like a noble sacrifice of personal inclinations to the welfare of the community. View quote
Murray Leinster
"We're fools!” said Harrison. "Morons! Idiots!” "If you speak of my altruism,” said Pepe cheerfully, "I agree. But if you speak of your interest in a very pretty girl, then I point out that nobody is ever as happy as while he is making a fool of himself over a woman. View quote
Murray Leinster
When in the course of human events somebody does something that puts somebody else to the trouble of adjusting the numb routine of his life, the adjustee is resentful. The richer he is and the more satisfactory he considers his life, the more resentful he is at any change, however minute. And of all the changes which offend people, changes which require them to think are most disliked. View quote
Murray Leinster
Hoddan angrily suspected fate and chance of plain conspiracy against him. View quote
Murray Leinster
But it might not be true enough. It might be less than...well...sufficiently true in a particular instance. View quote
Murray Leinster
Most men develop convictions about the cosmos and such beliefs come in two varieties. One kind is a conviction that the cosmos does not make sense. That it exists by chance and changes by chance and human beings do not matter. This view produces a fine complacency. The other kind is a belief that the cosmos does make sense, and was designed with the idea that people were going to live in it, and that what they do and what happens to them is important. This theory seems to be depressing. View quote
Murray Leinster
His reasoning was emotional, and therefore simple. (Murray Leinster)
Eminent men were called on to take command and arrange suitable measures. They immediately acted as eminent men so often do; the took action to retain their eminence. Their first instinct is caution. When a man is important enough, it does not matter if he never does anything. It is only required of him that he do nothing wrong. Eminent figures all over the world prepared to do nothing wrong. They were not so concerned to do anything right. View quote
Murray Leinster
My purpose is not to make profits, but to keep people from being killed. Quaint, eh? But I'm one of the people I don't want killed. View quote
Murray Leinster
Lane understood. Burke was one of that considerable part of humanity which enthusiastically believes in anything that's sufficiently dramatic. View quote
Murray Leinster
It isn't reasonable!” insisted Holmes. "It doesn't make sense!” "The question,” observed Burke, "isn't whether it makes sense, but whether it's fact. View quote
Murray Leinster