Frank Herbert Quotes

Quotes about:

• Governments, if they endure, always tend increasingly toward aristocratic forms. No government in history has been known to evade this pattern. And as the aristocracy develops, government tends more and more to act exclusively in the interests of the ruling class -- whether that class be hereditary royalty, oligarchs of financial empires, or entrenched bureaucracy.

  Frank Herbert

  Government, Class, Aristocracy

  Frank Herbert (2008). “Children of Dune”, p.198, Penguin

  43 Copy quote

• All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities.

  Frank Herbert

  War, Government, Personality

  Frank Herbert (1987). “Chapterhouse: Dune”, p.60, Penguin

  55 Copy quote

• The undeserving maintain power by promoting hysteria.

  Frank Herbert

  Hysteria, Undeserving, Promoting

  Frank Herbert (2008). “God Emperor of Dune”, p.306, Penguin

  11 Copy quote

• I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

  Frank Herbert

  Inspirational, Motivational, Death

  Frank Herbert (2010). “Heretics Of Dune: The Fifth Dune Novel”, p.10, Hachette UK

  90 Copy quote

• The mistakes (of leaders) are amplified by the numbers who follow them without question. Charismatic leaders tend to build up followings, power structures and these power structures tend to be taken over by people who are corruptible. I don't think that the old saw about 'power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely' is accurate: I think power attracts the corruptible.

  Frank Herbert

  Mistake, Taken, Thinking

  2 Copy quote

• The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.

  Frank Herbert

  Love, Inspirational, Life

  Frank Herbert (2003). “Dune”, p.35, Penguin

  91 Copy quote

• The best contribution one can make to humanity is to improve oneself.

  Frank Herbert

  Humanity, Contribution, Oneself

  23 Copy quote

• Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.

  Frank Herbert

  Inspirational, Funny, Life

  "Fictional character: Duke Leto Atreides". "Dune", www.imdb.com. 1984.

  61 Copy quote

• Ideas are a dime a dozen. It's execution that counts.

  Frank Herbert

  Ideas, Dimes, Dozen

  20 Copy quote

• All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible.

  Frank Herbert

  War, Power Corrupts, Magnet

  "Chapterhouse: Dune".

  2 Copy quote

• The Fremen were supreme in that quality the ancients called "spannungsbogen" -- which is the self-imposed delay between desire for a thing and the act of reaching out to grasp that thing.

  Frank Herbert

  Self, Desire, Quality

  Frank Herbert (2003). “Dune”, p.253, Penguin

  5 Copy quote

• If you live in bad faith, lies will appear to you like the truth.

  Frank Herbert

  Lying, Ifs

  Frank Herbert (2008). “God Emperor of Dune”, p.364, Penguin

  11 Copy quote

• Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.

  Frank Herbert

  Men, Thinking, Machines

  Frank Herbert (2003). “Dune”, p.18, Penguin

  10 Copy quote

• To stand alone against all adversity is the most sacred moment of existence.

  Frank Herbert

  Adversity, Sacred, Moments

  Frank Herbert (2002). “The Dosadi Experiment”, p.285, Macmillan

  5 Copy quote

• Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty.

  Frank Herbert

  Freedom, Discipline, History

  Frank Herbert (1985). “Chapterhouse: Dune”, Putnam Publishing Group

  31 Copy quote

• Bureaucracy destroys initiative. There is little that bureaucrats hate more than innovation, especially innovation that produces better results than the old routines. Improvements always make those at the top of the heap look inept. Who enjoys appearing inept?

  Frank Herbert

  Hate, Thought Provoking, Innovation

  Frank Herbert (1987). “Heretics of Dune”, p.201, Penguin

  6 Copy quote

• Highly organized research is guaranteed to produce nothing new.

  Frank Herbert

  Research, Produce, Organized

  Frank Herbert (2003). “Dune”, p.425, Penguin

  16 Copy quote

• To endure oneself may be the hardest task in the universe. You cannot hire a wise man or any other intellect to solve it for you. There's no writ of inquest or calling of witness to provide answers.

  Frank Herbert

  Wise, Men, May

  Frank Herbert (2008). “Dune Messiah”, p.99, Penguin

  12 Copy quote

• Absolute power does not corrupt absolutely, absolute power attracts the corruptible.

  Frank Herbert

  Power, Political, Doe

  22 Copy quote

• There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.

  Frank Herbert

  Real, Writing, Stories

  Interview with Willis McNelly, www.sinanvural.com. February 3, 1969.

  39 Copy quote

• A person needs new experiences. They jar something deep inside, allowing you to grow. Without them, it sleeps- seldom to awaken. The sleeper must awaken.

  Frank Herbert

  Sleep, New Experiences, Needs

  10 Copy quote

• When a wise man does not understand, he says: "I do not understand." The fool and the uncultured are ashamed of their ignorance. They remain silent when a question could bring them wisdom.

  Frank Herbert

  Wise, Ignorance, Men

  "The Godmakers". Book by Frank Herbert, 1972.

  14 Copy quote

• Most deadly errors arise from obsolete assumptions.

  Frank Herbert

  Errors, Assumption, Obsolete

  Frank Herbert (2008). “Children of Dune”, p.82, Penguin

  14 Copy quote

• Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.

  Frank Herbert

  Life, Real, Princess

  Frank Herbert (2003). “Dune”, p.323, Penguin

  15 Copy quote

• When I need to identify rebels, I look for men with principles

  Frank Herbert

  Men, Principles, Rebel

  Frank Herbert (1983). “God Emperor of Dune”

  11 Copy quote

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