Frank Herbert

In order to understand the meaning of victory, you must first define your enemies...and your allies.

Invention is an art form.

With all the artillery, ships and manpower in the military, our commanders often forget that ideas can be the greatest weapon of all.

Only those with narrow minds fail to see that the definition of impossible is "Lack of imagination and incentive."

The gravest error a thinking person can make is to believe that one particular version of history is absolute fact. History is recorded by a series of observers, none of whom is impartial. The facts are distorted by sheer passage of time and — especially in the case of the Butlerian Jihad — thousands of years of humanity's dark ages, deliberate misrepresentations by religious sects, and the inevitable corruption that comes from an accumulation of careless mistakes. The wise person, then, views history as a set of lessons to be learned, choices and ramifications to be considered and discussed, and mistakes that should never again be made.

He who strikes fastest strikes twice.

Unfortunately, some wars are won by the side that is the most fanatical in a religious sense. The victorious leaders harness the holy energy of collective insanity.

It is better to be envied than pitied.

Do not count what you have lost. Count only what you still have.

Select your battles carefully. Ultimately, victory and defeat are a matter of your own careful — or reckless — choices.

Home can be anywhere, for it is a part of one's self.

It has often been said that it is better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven. This is defeatist talk: I intend to rule everywhere, not just in Hell.