An optimist is somebody who thinks our various political and social systems, schools and churches, support groups and Boy Scout troops, jury… — Jack McDevitt Copy Share Image
Tides are like politics. They come and go with a great deal of fuss and noise, but inevitably they leave the beach just as… — Jack McDevitt Copy Share Image
Talking with most people usually involves a search for truth. Talking with congressmen is strictly special effects. — Jack McDevitt Copy Share Image
The real problem has to do with the inability by people to admit that a position they've held a long time might be wrong.… — Jack McDevitt Copy Share Image
Lies hold civilization together. If people ever seriously begin telling each other what they really think, there'd be no peace. Good-bye to tact. Good-bye… — Jack McDevitt Copy Share Image
Science fiction writers missed the most salient feature of our modern era: the Internet. — Jack McDevitt Copy Share Image
“...those whose tastes run to personal power [can] never be trusted to act save in the pursuit of their own ambition.” — Jack McDevitt Copy Share Image
Solitude is only a good idea if you have the right people along to share it. — Jack McDevitt Copy Share Image
Universal deities ... never seem to smile. Not in any culture. What's the point of having omnipotence if you don't enjoy it? — Jack McDevitt Copy Share Image
Technological civilizations don't last long. You're all right until you get a printing press. Then a race starts between technology and common sense. And… — Jack McDevitt Copy Share Image
My father used to take me to the movies on Saturdays. In 1940, when I was four years old, we encountered 'Flash Gordon Conquers… — Jack McDevitt Copy Share Image
Of course, they (i. e., demons) had always been observed with some regularity, but that could usually be ascribed to an overabundance of piety… — Jack McDevitt Copy Share Image
