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A. E. van Vogt
11 quotes
“The right to buy weapons is the right to be free.”
A. E. van Vogt (1912–2000) first seen 1942 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Weapon Shop, in Astounding Science Fiction (December 1942)
“He had a sense of having been saved from the necessity of making a decision rather than of having made one.”
A. E. van Vogt (1912–2000) first seen 1948 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Dormant, published in Startling Stories (November 1948)
“Give me a title and we'll start from there.”
A. E. van Vogt (1912–2000) said by 2000 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Response to Harlan Ellison, at a suggestion to work together on a story, as quoted by Ellison in his introduction to "The Human Operators" in Partners in Wonder (2014)
“Childhood was a terrible period for me. I was like a ship without anchor being swept along through darkness in a storm. Again and again I sought shelter, only to be forced out of it by something new.”
A. E. van Vogt (1912–2000) said by 2000 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Holroyd took her hand gingerly. It felt warm, almost tinglingly alive, as if the life force behind it had flame in it, an electric, vibrant fire. The thought came; what an experience it would be to kiss a woman who was so alive! He looked sharply at the girl. Had that subtle suggestion flowed from her mind along her arm? He decided it hadn’t. He was perfectly capable of having such a thought all by himself.”
A. E. van Vogt (1912–2000) said by 2000 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Religious habits had in their texture a conservatism unmatched by any other human institution.”
A. E. van Vogt (1912–2000) said by 2000 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Thank the goddess! What a monstrous obscenity. Thank the goddess! Vile, lecherous, lascivious witch! Wretched debauched, wanton, bloody, devil woman!”
A. E. van Vogt (1912–2000) said by 2000 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But the possible extent of the disaster couldn’t make any difference. Way back in 1944 people had learned that lesson. Horror must be ignored, unflinchingly faced; and patient preparation made for the hour when evil could be ended in one devastating and overwhelming blow.”
A. E. van Vogt (1912–2000) said by 2000 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Religion, you see, is not in its roots adoration of a god or a goddess. Religion is fear. Religion is the spark that issues forth when the thought of death or danger strikes the individual. It’s personal. It grows out of darkness and uncertainty.”
A. E. van Vogt (1912–2000) said by 2000 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The weapon shops were founded more than two thousand years ago by a man who decided that the incessant struggle for power of different groups was insane and the civil and other wars must stop forever. It was a time when the world had just emerged from a war in which more than a billion people had died and he found thousands of people who agreed to follow him. His idea was nothing less than that whatever government was in power should not be overthrown. But that an organization should be set up which would have one principal purpose — to ensure that no government ever again obtained complete power over its people. A man who felt himself wronged should be able to go somewhere to buy a defensive gun. You cannot imagine what a great forward step that was. Under the old tyrannical governments it was frequently a capital offense to be found in possession of a blaster or a gun. … What gave the founder the idea was the invention of an electronic and atomic system of control which made it possible to build indestructible weapon shops and to manufacture weapons that could only be used for defense. That last ended all possibility of weapon shop guns being used by gangsters and other criminals and morally justified the entire enterprise. For defensive purposes a weapon shop gun is superior to an ordinary or government weapon. It works on mind control and leaps to the hand when wanted. It provides a defensive screen against other blasters, though not against bullets but since it is so much faster, that isn't important.”
A. E. van Vogt (1912–2000) said by 2000 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You really don't understand. We don't worry about individuals. What counts is that many millions of people have the knowledge that they can go to a weapon shop if they want to protect themselves and their families. And, even more important, the forces that would normally try to enslave them are restrained by the conviction that it is dangerous to press people too far. And so a great balance has been struck between those who govern and those who are governed." Cayle stared at her in bitter disappointment. "You mean that a person has to save himself? Even when you get a gun you have to nerve yourself to resist? Nobody is there to help you?" It struck him with a pang that she must have told him this in order to show him why she couldn't help him. Lucy spoke again. "I can see that what I've told you is a great disappointment to you. But that's the way it is. And I think you'll realize that's the way it has to be. When a people lose the courage to resist encroachment on their rights, then they can't be saved by an outside force. Our belief is that people always have the kind of government they want and that individuals must bear the risks of freedom, even to the extent of giving their lives.”
A. E. van Vogt (1912–2000) said by 2000 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source