"“Excuse me,” she said hesitantly, “but what effect do these minor planets have on our behavior and fortunes? I mean, you know, astrological influence?” He looked at her. “None.” “None at all.” “No.” “But if the planets affect our fortunes—” She stumbled to a stop at the dispassionately scornful look on the pale man’s face, the slow way he shook his head. “Surely you’ll agree that the planets order and control our destinies?” “They do not.” “Not at all?” “Then what does? Control our destinies, I mean.” “The only external forces that have any influence on us are those we can see every day: the smile, the frown, the fist, the brick wall. What you call ‘destiny’ is merely a semantic fallacy, the attribution of purpose to blind causality. Insofar as any of us are compelled to resist the flow of random events, we are driven solely by internal drives and forces.”"
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Fantasy authorsScience fiction authors from the United StatesNovelists from the United StatesShort story writers from the United StatesCritics from the United States
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Chapter 6 (p. 88)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michael_Swanwick
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Michael Swanwick
115 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Michael Swanwick →
Related Quotes
"He was not actually drunk, but emotion made him feel as if he were. Sorrow, loss, anger—these were as good as a bottl…"
"The oracle-glass was maddeningly literal, capable of answering only the question one asked, rather than that which on…"
"“They’re just kids,” Will said scornfully. “Do not despise them because they are young. The young make excellent sold…"
"If I have to play your stupid games, at least I don’t have to pretend to enjoy them."
"Sam stood in the center of the church, listening for the presence of God. It was a hot place. The air was blue with f…"
"These hands were almost crippled digging coal so that rich men in Boston might grow even richer."
"“What you propose to do today is to bring civilization to a lawless corner of the world. I know that you claim more m…"
"I’m a politician. I agree with the majority of whoever I happen to be with at the moment."
"People will believe in just about any kind of superstitious crap nowadays."
"It was classic cult behavior: the charismatic leader whose word was law, the unreasoning obedience, the pervasive fear."