The laws of science fiction - Quotes from Science Fiction

A lot of quotations carefully collected from a very big amount of books and divided by categories.

Have fun reading it, this is really interesting and breathtaking!

[H. G.Wells's Law of the Beast-Men:] Not to go on all-Fours; that is the Law. Are we not Men? Not to suck up Drink; that is the Law. Are we not Men? Not to eat Flesh nor Fish; that is the Law. Are we not Men? Not to claw Bark of Trees; that is the Law. Are we not Men? Not to chase other Men; that is the Law. Are we not Men?

- H. G.Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896)

[George Orwell's Seven Commandments of Animals:] 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes. 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed. 5. No animal shall drink alcohol. 6. No animal shall kill any other animal. 7. All animals are equal.

- George Orwell, Animal Farm: A Fairy Story (1945)

[George Orwell's Revised Seventh Commandment:] All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.

- George Orwell, Animal Farm: A Fairy Story (1945)

[Robert A. Heinlein's Rules forWriters:] 1. You must write. 2. You must finish what you start. 3. You must refrain from rewriting except to editorial order. 4. You must put it on the market. 5. You must keep it on the market until sold.

- Robert A. Heinlein, ''On theWriting of Speculative Fiction'' (1947)

[Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics:] [First Law:] A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. [Second Law:] A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. [Third Law:] A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

- Isaac Asimov, I, Robot (1950)

[Isaac Asimov's Zeroth Law:] A robot may not injure humanity or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

- Isaac Asimov, Robots and Empire (1985)

[Arthur Byron Cover's Laws of Robotics:] ''The Singlemost Law, remember? The one that says no robot shall through action or lack of action permit a sentient organism of an officially registered species to come to harm!'' ''Sorry, but that's the Thirdfolded Law. The real Singlemost Law says that under no circumstances shall a robot place his own private person in jeopardy!''

- Arthur Byron Cover, Planetfall (1988)

[Theodore Sturgeon's Law:] It is in this vein that I repeat Sturgeon's Revelation, which was wrung out of me after twenty years of wearying defense of science fiction against the attacks of people who used the worst examples of the field for ammunition, and whose conclusion was that ninety percent of sf is crud. The Revelation: Ninety percent of everything is crud. Corollary 1: The existence of immense quantities of trash in science fiction is admitted and it is regrettable; but it is no more unnatural than the existence of trash anywhere. Corollary 2: The best science fiction is as good as the best fiction in any field.

- Theodore Sturgeon, ''On Hand: A Book'' (1958)

When people talk about the mystery novel, they mention The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep. When they talk about the western, they say there's The Way West and Shane. But when they talk about science fiction, they call it ''that Buck Rogers stuff,'' and they say, ''ninety percent of science fiction is crud.'' Well, they're right. Ninety percent of science fiction is crud. But then ninety percent of everything is crud, and it's the ten percent that isn't crud that is important, and the ten percent of science fiction that isn't crud is as good or better than anything being written anywhere.

- Theodore Sturgeon, from his 1953 speech at theWorld Science Fiction Convention, cited by James Gunn, ''Addendum'' to review of The Ultimate Egoist (1995)

[Arthur C. Clarke's Three Laws:] [First Law:] When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right.When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

- Arthur C. Clarke, ''Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination'' (1962)

[Second Law:] The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.

- Arthur C. Clarke, ''Hazards of Prophecy: An Arresting Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible: Failures of Nerve and Failures of Imagination'' (1962)

[Third Law:] Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

- Arthur C. Clarke, ''Clarke's Third Law on UFO's'' (letter), Science, January 19 (1968)

[Isaac Asimov's Corollary to Clarke's First Law:] When, however, the lay public rallies round an idea that is denounced by distinguished but elderly scientists - and supports that idea with great fervor and emotion - the distinguished but elderly scientists are then, after all, probably right.

- Isaac Asimov, ''Asimov's Corollary'' (1977)

[Gregory Benford's Corollary to Clarke's Third Law:] Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.

- Gregory Benford, Foundation's Fear (1994)

[Star Trek's Prime Directive:] Spock: Then the Prime Directive is in full force, Captain? Kirk: No identification of self or mission. No interference with the social development of said planet. McCoy: No references to space or the fact that there are other worlds or more advanced civilizations.

- Gene L. Coon and Gene Roddenberry, ''Bread and Circuses,'' episode of Star Trek (1968)

[Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Futurics:] [First Law:] What is happening will continue to happen. [Second Law:] Consider the obvious seriously, for few people will see it. [Third Law:] Consider the consequences.

- Isaac Asimov, ''Oh, Keen-Eyed Peerer into the Future'' (1974)