50 Quotes by Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke was a British science fiction writer who lived from 1917 to 2008. He was known for his visionary writing and his ability to predict technological advancements. Clarke's most famous work is "2001: A Space Odyssey," which was later adapted into a film by Stanley Kubrick. He also wrote numerous other science fiction novels and short stories, and he won several awards for his writing. In addition to his work as a writer, Clarke was also a futurist and inventor, and he made numerous contributions to the field of telecommunications. His legacy continues to inspire writers and scientists around the world. (Bio)
Arthur C. Clarke Quotes
Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out. (Quote Meaning)
The moon is the first milestone on the road to the stars. (Meaning)
Never attribute to malevolence what is merely due to incompetence. (Quote Meaning)
Our lifetime may be the last that will be lived out in a technological society. (Meaning)
The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion. (Quote Meaning)
This is the first age that's ever paid much attention to the future, which is a little ironic since we may not have one. (Meaning)
New ideas pass through three periods: 1) It can't be done; 2) It probably can be done, but it's not worth doing; 3) I knew it was a good idea all along! (Quote Meaning)
Every revolutionary idea seems to evoke three stages of reaction. They may be summed up by the phrases: 1) It's completely impossible. 2) It's possible, but it's not worth doing. 3) I said it was a good idea all along. (Meaning)
Reading computer manuals without the hardware is as frustrating as reading sex manuals without the software. (Quote Meaning)
Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering. (Meaning)
Behind every man now alive stand thirty ghosts, for that is the ratio by which the dead outnumber the living. (Quote Meaning)
If we have learned one thing from the history of invention and discovery, it is that, in the long run — and often in the short one — the most daring prophecies seem laughably conservative. (Meaning)
I can never look now at the Milky Way without wondering from which of those banked clouds of stars the emissaries are coming. (Quote Meaning)
There is hopeful symbolism in the fact that flags do not wave in a vacuum. (Meaning)
The best measure of a man's honesty isn't his income tax return. It's the zero adjust on his bathroom scale. (Quote Meaning)
Human judges can show mercy. But against the laws of nature, there is no appeal. (Meaning)
It may be that our role on this planet is not to worship God, but to create him. (Quote Meaning)
Before you become too entranced with gorgeous gadgets and mesmerizing video displays, let me remind you that information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, and wisdom is not foresight. (Meaning)
Magic's just science that we don't understand yet. (Quote Meaning)
The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. (Meaning)
The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible. (Quote Meaning)
The only way to define your limits is by going beyond them. (Meaning)
I don't believe in astrology; I'm a Sagittarius and we're skeptical. (Quote Meaning)
One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. (Meaning)
I'm sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It's just been too intelligent to come here. (Quote Meaning)
Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. (Meaning)
Civilization will reach maturity only when it learns to value diversity of character and of ideas.
The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible. (Quote Meaning)
What we need is a machine that will let us see the other guy's point of view.
I don't pretend we have all the answers. But the questions are certainly worth thinking about.
How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is quite clearly Ocean. (Meaning)
It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value. (Quote Meaning)
A faith that cannot survive collision with the truth is not worth many regrets.
My favorite definition of an intellectual: 'Someone who has been educated beyond his/her intelligence'.
Religion is the most malevolent of all mind viruses.
Getting information from the internet is like getting a glass of water from the Niagara Falls.
The future is not to be forecast, but created.
The only real problem in life is what to do next.
Only small minds are impressed by large numbers.
Now I'm a scientific expert; that means I know nothing about absolutely everything.
Only feeble minds are paralyzed by facts.
We over estimate technology in the short term and under estimate technology in the long term.
A well-stocked mind is safe from boredom.
Guns are the crutches of the impotent. (Meaning)
I sometimes think that the universe is a machine designed for the perpetual astonishment of astronomers.
I have never grown up, but I will never stop growing.
― Arthur C. Clarke Quotes
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
