339 Quotes by Octavia E. Butler

All that you touchYou Change.All that you ChangeChanges you.The only lasting truthis Change.Godis Change.

People have the right to call themselves whatever they like. That doesn't bother me. It's other people doing the calling that bothers me.

To survive,Let the pastTeach you--Past customs,Struggles,Leaders and thinkers.LetTheseHelp you.Let them inspire you,Warn you,Give you strength.But beware:God is Change.Past is past.What wasCannotCome again.To survive,know the past.Let it touch you.Then letThe pastGo.

Your teachersAre all around you.All that you perceive,All that you experience,All that is given to youor taken from you,All that you love or hate,need or fearWill teach you--If you will learn.God is your firstand your last teacher.God is your harshest teacher:subtle,demanding.Learn or die.

There is nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns.

God is Change.Earthseed: The Books of the LivingLauren Oya Olamina

They're both afraid. They look at their children--Alan has four kids, too--and they're afraid and ashamed of their fear, ashamed of their powerlessness. And they're tired. There are millions of people like them--people who are frightened and just plain tired of all the chaos. They want someone to do something. Fix things. Now!

What does Jarett really think about the Crusaders? Does he control them? If he doesn't like what they're doing, he should make some effort to stop them. He shouldn't want them to make their insanity part of his political image. On the other hand, one way to make people afraid of you is to have a crazy side--a side of yourself or your organization that's dangerous and unpredictable--willing to do any damned thing.

I've never felt that I was making any of this up—not the name, Earthseed, not any of it. I mean, I've never felt that it was anything other than real: discovery rather than invention, exploration rather than creation. I wish I could believe it was all supernatural and that I'm getting messages from God. But then, I don't believe in that kind of God. All I do is observe and take notes, trying to put things down in ways that are as powerful, as simple, and as direct as I feel them. (p 78)