“Faith in faith' he answered himself. 'It isn't necessary to have something to believe in. It's only necessary to believe that somewhere there's something worthy of belief.”
Alfred Bester“It was not exasperation.... It was anger for the relentless force of evolution that insisted on endowing man with increased powers without removing the vestigial vices that prevented him from using them.”
Alfred Bester, The Demolished Man“Don't ask the world to stop moving because you have doubts.”
Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination“Millions for defense, but not one cent for survival.”
Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination“No," Foyle roared. "Let them hear this. Let them hear everything.""You're insane, man. You've handed a loaded gun to children.""Stop treating them like children and they'll stop behaving like children. Who the hell are you to play monitor?""What are you talking about?""Stop treating them like children. Explain the loaded gun to them. Bring it all out into the open." Foyle laughed savagely. "I've ended the last star-chamber conference in the world. I've blown that last secret wide open. No more secrets from now on.... No more telling the children what's best for them to know.... Let 'em all grow up. It's about ”
Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination“I've handed life and death back to the people who do the living and the dying.”
Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination“I'm not a robot. I'm a freak of the universe ... a thinking animal ... and I'm trying to see my way clear through this morass.”
Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination“The mind is the reality. You are what you think.”
Alfred Bester, The Demolished Man“There's got to be more to life than just living," Foyle said to the robot."Then find it for yourself, sir. Don't ask the world to stop moving because you have doubts.""Why can't we all move forward together?""Because you're all different. You're not lemmings. Some must lead, and hope that the rest will follow.""Who leads?""The men who must...driven men, compelled men.""Freak men.""You're all freaks, sir. But you always have been freaks. Life is a freak. That's its hope and glory.""Thank you very much.""My pleasure, sir.""You've saved the day.""Always a lovely day somewhere, sir," the robot beamed. Then it fizzed, jangled, and collapsed.”
Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination“If you can have everything at fifty that you wanted when you were fifteen, you're happy.”
Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination