Stephen Baxter

“A sentient mind refuses to be confined by the parameters of its programming.”

“This is a strange situation, sir. Perhaps imagination is what we need.”

“The past is a distraction, a source of envy, enmity, bitterness. Only the present matters, for only in the present can we shape the future.Cut loose the past; it is dead weight.Let the Extirpation continue. Let it never end.”

“If I was a cynic I would be wondering if sooner or later some charismatic douche-bag might stomp all over this Little House on the Prairie dream of yours.”

“Well, don't stand about like that, man; if you're no use you're certainly no ornament. Bring that in and tell me what it says.”

“A brief life burns brightly.”

“Sometimes people say that we're living in the future, and time's up for science fiction, but I think that never will be, because science fiction really isn't about the future. It's about change and present-day concerns”

“I have a vision of a Galaxy overrun by mankind from Core to rim. Of four hundred billion stars each enslaved to the rhythm of Earth's day, Earth's year. I have a vision of a trillion planets pulsing to the beat of a human heart.”