189 Quotes by Stanisław Lem

General Apollon Diaz was currently in power and leaned toward the position of the hawks, which was to meet force with force. The proposal had already been made at Parliament (which stood in permanent emergency session) to counterattack: to pull twice the number of teeth from the political prisoners the abductors were demanding and mail them poste restante, as the address of guerrilla headquarters was unknown.

These views were voiced by the school of 'optessimists', i.e. philosophers who derived optimism for the future from a pessimistic appraisal of the present." The 21st Voyage, The Star Diaries

—Desde luego —dijo Trurl—, no creáis que vuestra manera de pensar me sea desconocida. Todos saben que lo grande y lo numeroso despierta el respeto general. Así, por ejemplo, un poco de gas rancio en el fondo de un barril viejo no provoca ningún respeto, pero si este mismo gas aparece en una cantidad suficiente para formar una Nebulosa Galáctica, todos lo admiran y contemplan. ¿Y qué ha cambiado? La ranciedad y la ordinariez del gas es la misma; sólo varía la cantidad.

Какая армия... непобедима? Та, у которой командиры толковее, а солдаты - послушнее. Командир приказывает, солдат выполняет приказ; значит, первый должен быть умён, второй - дисциплинирован. (Клапауций - Мегерику)("Семь путешествий Трурля и Клапауция. Путешествие первое, или Ловушка Гарганциана")

Omnipotence is most omnipotent when one does nothing!

...это свойственно идиотам - они большей частью дико упрямы. (Клапауций - Трурлю - о мыслящей машине)

Above the podium stood a decorated board showing the agenda for the day. The first item of business was the world urban crisis, the second—the ecology crisis, the third—the air pollution crisis, the fourth—the energy crisis, the fifth—the food crisis. Then adjournment.

Es kann keinen Flug geben ohne vorangegangene Träume vom Fliegen.

Where do consequences lead? Depends on the escort.