Baron Bodissey - The Wisdom of Baron Bodissey

The Wisdom of Baron Bodissey

• of all wars, these are the most detestable, since they are waged for no tangible gain, but only to impose a set of arbitrary credos on another. (From Life, Volume I; The Face, Chapter 3)

• The malefactor becomes the creature of his own deeds. (From Life, Volume I; The Face, Chapter 6)

• "Morality", the most troublesome and confusing word of all. There is no single or supreme morality; there are many, each defining the mode by which a system of entities optimally interacts. (From Life, Volume I; The Book of Dreams, Chapter 3)

• . . . when land is vast and easily available, as in the broaching of a new continent or a new world, nothing can keep different sorts of people in close contact. They migrate to new places and particularize, whereupon languages mutate, costumes and conventions elaborate, aesthetic symbols take on fresh meanings. (From the Introduction to Life, Volume II; The Book of Dreams, Chapter 11; in the same chapter the Baron's 'Introduction to Volume II' is described as 'famous')

• I have examined the native life forms of over two thousand planets. I have noted many examples of convergent evolution, but many more of divergence. (From Life, Volume II; The Star King, Chapter 2)

• We must not confuse statistical probability with some transcendental and utterly compelling force. (From Life, Volume II; The Star King, Chapter 2)

• For the lack of a more precise and universal term the temptation to use the word "intelligence" incorrectly is well-nigh irresistible, but can be countenanced only when the word is set off by quotes, Viz: my own monograph (which I include in the appendix to Volume Eight of this slight and by no means comprehensive series). (From Life, Volume II; The Book of Dreams, Chapter 18)

• As a society matures, the struggle for survival imperceptibly graduates and changes emphasis, and becomes what can only be termed the quest for pleasure. (From Life, Volume III; The Star King, Chapter 6)

• Luxury and privilege are the perquisites of wealth. This would appear a notably bland remark, but it is much larger than it seems. If one listens closely, he hears deep and far below the mournful chime of inevitability. (From Life, Volume III; The Face, Chapter 14)

• When erudition comes in, poetry departs. (From Life, Volume IV; The Killing Machine, Chapter 10)

• Towns behave in many respects like living organisms, which across time evolve and adapt so exactly to the landscape, the weather, and the requirements of the inhabitants that there is very little thrust for change. Parallel to these considerations the forces of tradition exert a like effect upon the character of the town; and indeed, the older the town, the more rigid its tendencies towards immutability. (From ‘Reflections upon the Morphology of Settled Places’, Life, Volume 11; Ecce and Old Earth, Chapter VIII)

• To create a society based on caste distinction, a minimum of two individuals is both necessary and sufficient. (Throy, Chapter 1)

• Only losers cry out for fair play. (Night Lamp, Chapter 2)

• Sleep when you are dead. (Ecce and Old Earth, Chapter III)