# Quote — James Blish, The Quincunx of Time

> Actually, there are never motives behind actions. All actions are fixed. What we call motives evidently are rationalizations by the helpless observing consciousness, which is intelligent enough to smell an event coming—and, since it cannot avert the event, instead cooks up reasons for wanting it to happen...or ascribes it to the malice of God or man.

- Author: [James Blish](https://www.leafyquotes.com/james-blish.md)
- Book: [The Quincunx of Time](https://www.leafyquotes.com/james-blish/the-quincunx-of-time.md)
- Page: 84
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Blish#The_Quincunx_of_Time_(1973)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/james-blish/the-quincunx-of-time/actually-there-are

## More from this book

> The technicians thought I was crazy. Now, five months later, I’ve proved it.

p. 72 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/james-blish/the-quincunx-of-time/the-technicians-thought.md)

> “Something tells me that this isn’t going to be as simple as it looks.”
>
> “What is?” Wald said, raising his eyebrows.
>
> “Nothing, of course. But hope springs eternal in the human spleen.”

p. 77 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/james-blish/the-quincunx-of-time/something-tells-me-that.md)

> He was getting to be a little old for combat or for princesses, but what was worse, he had become a lot more cynical without having become even slightly the wiser.

p. 18 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/james-blish/the-quincunx-of-time/he-was-getting.md)