If someone offered me a free trip to the International Space Station, I would decline. I like Earth. I like the internet. I like Diet Coke. I have cats. I write about brave people - I'm not one of them.

If ruining the only religious icon I have leaves me vulnerable to Martian vampires, I’ll have to risk it.

The planet’s famous red color is from iron oxide coating everything. So it’s not just a desert. It’s a desert so old it’s literally rusting.

Yes, of course duct tape works in a near-vacuum. Duct tape works anywhere. Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped.

A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow. Don't wait for an inspired ending to come to mind. Work your way to the ending and see what comes up.

I am not a brave man... I do not have the right stuff. Astronauts are really a cut above.

I don't take Mars One seriously at all.

If you look up every last detail on your subject, you'll never finish.

I originally wrote 'The Martian' as a free serial novel, posting one chapter at a time to my website.

If the reader is rooting for the protagonist, they'll forgive you just about everything else.