… a society devoted to self-destruction and waste but unwilling to acknowledge its indulgent ways.
You are a strange species. Not like any other. And you’d be surprised how many there are. Intelligent but savage. Shall I tell you what I find beautiful about you? You are at your very best when things are worst.
Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You’re a plague and we are the cure.
“Cure" is one of the most precious words in the English language. It’s a short word. A clean and simple word. But it isn’t so easy a thing as it sounds. There are questions like: How will this affect us in ten years? In twenty? What will it do to our children? Our children’s children?”
“You’re lying. Nobody can see the future. We are given only the present.”
“Well of course. But if you look closely enough at the present you can find loose bits of the future just lying around.”
Nothing about this endeavor is certain. There may be no one left in the city by then or no safe place for them to come back to.
These are the stories that the Dogs tell when the fires burn high and the wind is from the north. Then each family circle gathers at the hearthstone and the pups sit silently and listen and when the story’s done they ask many questions:
“What is Man?” they’ll ask.
Or perhaps: “What is a city?”
She had to act like a normal robot, and a normal robot would never wander the city admiring beautiful things. Wherever Roz looked she saw normal robots concentrating on their tasks and on nothing else.
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Now come along with me, you ludicrous lump, there’s much to be done.
(Fortunate ninja!)
Bad call. see below
Crazy robots…Crazy robots everywhere…
A bot had to find his own way, and I’d figured out that functioning for function’s sake was pointless.
The robot learns to love. A single, oily tear leaks down his cheek. We don’t know whether he’s crying or just needs maintenance.
“… I support this proposition because I’m in love with a goopy, flesh-and-blood woman, and not surprisingly, she loves me. This is a simple matter of justice, which I’m not normally for. So please, vote yes. After all, our love isn’t any different than yours, except it’s hotter, 'cause I’m involved.”
The smile that came to her face then was the same gleaming smile that had captivated Hugh Arai since the first time he’d seen it. But it was as if a star had become a supernova.
“Ice cream would be nice. Later. Right now, I’d be much happier if you’d take me to bed.”
I’ll sing me a song about Mary O’Meara, with stars like a crown in her hair,
Sing of her memory rangin’ before me whatever the ways that I fare.
Oh, on the Starship Enterprise, there’s someone who’s in Satan’s guise, whose devil’s ears and devil’s eyes could rip your heart from you! At first his look could hypnotize and then his touch would barbarize. His alien love could victimize… and rip your heart from you! And that’s why female astronauts, oh very female astronauts wait terrified and overwrought to find what he will do. Oh girls in space, be wary, be wary, be wary! Girls in space, be wary! We know not what he’ll do.
There’s Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, starboard bow
There’s Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, Jim
Star Trekkin’ across the universe
On the Starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk
Star Trekkin’ across the universe
Only going forward, still can’t find reverse.
I’m Jabba the Hut, I am,
Jabba the Hut, I am, I am,
I got married to the widow next door,
She’s been married seven times before,
And everyone was a Jabba (Jabba),
She wouldn’t have a Chewie or a Han (no Han)