Another notion occurred to me as I stood contemplating my next move—a piece of advice Clara once offered… — David Brin
Another notion occurred to me as I stood contemplating my next move—a piece of advice Clara once offered:
“When in doubt, try not to think like the dumb hero of some movied.”
Charging into danger was one of those overused cinematic clichés, religiously adhered to by eight generations of brain-dead producers and directors. Another went: A hero must always assume that the authorities are evil, or useless, or bound to misunderstand. It helps keep the plot rolling if your protagonist never thinks of calling for help.
p. 388Source: Wikiquote · CC BY-SA 4.0
More from this book
Oh, there’s no high quite like getting the focused attention of powerful enemies. Nothing is better guaranteed to make you feel important in the world, which may be why conspiracy theories are so popular among frustrated underachievers.
p. 400
Fortunately, there is a famous inverse relation between fanaticism and competence.
p. 64
None of these problems resolved by the prescriptions of shamans and priests. Not by patronizing mystics or condescending monks.
Technology. That’s what made things better! In fits and starts—and often horribly abused along the way—that’s where we found answers that were consistent, dependable, uncapricious. Answers that applied to lord and vassal alike. Answers that improved life across the board and never went away.
p. 467
