Quote #10

'Yay, Old'uns' Smart mastered sicks, miles, seeds and made miracles ord'nary, but it din't master one thing, nay, a hunger in the hearts of humans, yay, a hunger for more: Human hunger birthed the Civilise, but human hunger killed it too.' ? (p.287)

More from David Mitchell

  1. 'Under the Enrichment Laws, consumers have to spend a fixed quota of dollars each month, depending on their strata. Hoarding is an anti-cor…
  2. 'Another war is always coming: They are never properly extinguished. What sparks war? The will to power, the backbone of human nature. The …
  3. Courage is the highest quality for a soldier, but technology is a fine substitute.
  4. 'Diplomacy: it mops up war's spillages; legitimises its outcomes; gives the strong state the means to impose its will on a weaker one, whil…
  5. The body is the outermost layer of the mind.
  6. 'Science devises ever bloodier means of war until humanity's powers of destruction overcome our powers of creation, and our civilisation dr…
  7. Whoever dies with the most stuff wins.
  8. 'History has no rules, only outcomes. What precipitates outcomes? Vicious acts and virtuous acts. What precipitates acts? Belief.' ?( p.528)

All David Mitchell quotes