208 books
—
460 voters
read
(1928)
currently-reading (3)
to-read (149)
abandoned (6)
science-fiction (578)
fantasy (532)
e-book (355)
audio-books (348)
crime-mystery (261)
library (165)
thriller (147)
group_sword-and-laser (142)
currently-reading (3)
to-read (149)
abandoned (6)
science-fiction (578)
fantasy (532)
e-book (355)
audio-books (348)
crime-mystery (261)
library (165)
thriller (147)
group_sword-and-laser (142)
non-fiction
(112)
read-in-2023 (104)
historical (97)
read-in-2021 (96)
read-in-2017 (95)
read-in-2018 (90)
read-in-2020 (90)
read-in-2022 (88)
read-in-2019 (87)
urban-fantasy (87)
read-in-2024 (86)
read-in-2016 (83)
read-in-2023 (104)
historical (97)
read-in-2021 (96)
read-in-2017 (95)
read-in-2018 (90)
read-in-2020 (90)
read-in-2022 (88)
read-in-2019 (87)
urban-fantasy (87)
read-in-2024 (86)
read-in-2016 (83)
‘individual performance directive�, otherwise known as a good old-fashioned bollocking.
Zain and 3 other people liked this


“Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”
― Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”
― Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

“Sometimes, making the wrong choice is better than making no choice. You have the courage to go forward, that is rare. A person who stands at the fork, unable to pick, will never get anywhere.”
― Wizard's First Rule
― Wizard's First Rule

“Fish and Wildlife wants to fine us for killing a giant mutant Tennessee River catfish because it was endangered. Sure it had just crawled up on land and eaten some teenagers, but it was still an endangered species.”
― Monster Hunter International
― Monster Hunter International

Online discussion forum for the Sword and Laser podcast and monthly book club pick. Subscribe to the audio podcast: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podca ...more

Hi there! SFFBC is a welcoming place for readers to share their love of speculative fiction through group reads, buddy reads, challenges, ...more

If you like space opera: an epic scale adventure through the galaxy with military battles, interplanetary politics, realistic interpersonal relationsh ...more

Hard Boiled detective novels, noir, and great crime novels (old and new)

Group dedicated to the discussion of Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth Series" ...more
AndrewP’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at AndrewP’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends�
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by AndrewP
Lists liked by AndrewP