17 Influential Isaac Asimov Quotes
Isaac Asimov is one of my favourite science fiction authors alongside the likes of Arthur C Clarke and Ursula K Le Guin. He’s best known for his Foundation and Robot series. But, he was a prolific author writing or editing over 500 books over his career and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards.
He was more than just a prolific science fiction writer though, he was a biochemist, science writer, a humanist, a rationalist, and a lover of liberty, regularly speaking out on behalf of freedom of thought and expression.
Much of Isaac Asimov’s work hinged on a ceaselessly speculative curiosity as he sought to answer the question “what if?” What if we developed intelligent androids? What if humanity colonised the stars?
Isaac Asimov died in 1992, but he left behind a legacy filled with a keen understanding of what it means to be human and the importance of hope for the future. In this article, we take a look at some of Isaac Asimov’s most influential quotes.
Here’s a list of Isaac Asimov’s most influential quotes
Isaac Asimov quotes on education and learning
1) "Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is."
2) "The greatest crime in the world is not developing your potential."
3) “So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You'd better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can't rearrange the universe.”
Isaac Asimov quotes on science and scientific understanding
4) "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"
5) "The true delight is in the finding out rather than in the knowing."
6) "The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom."
7) "The most important thing to remember is that you can always throw it away and start again."
Isaac Asimov quotes on being human
8) "The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible."
9) “And above all things, never think that you're not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. My belief is that in life people will take you at your own reckoning.”
10) “To insult someone we call him 'bestial. For deliberate cruelty and nature, 'human' might be the greater insult.”
11) “Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.”
12) “What is really amazing, and frustrating, is mankind's habit of refusing to see the obvious and inevitable until it is there, and then muttering about unforeseen catastrophes.”
Isaac Asimov quotes on writing and science fiction
13) "Science fiction writers foresee the inevitable, and although problems and catastrophes may be inevitable, solutions are not."
14) "Science fiction is the branch of literature that deals with the response of human beings to changes in science and technology."
15) "Science fiction is the only field in which the problems are created by the author and then solved by the author."
16) "Science fiction writers, I am sorry to say, really do not know anything."
17) “Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.”
Final Words
Isaac Asimov is a must-read for sci-fi lovers. His books and essay cover a comprehensive array of topics. He was a great believer in the scientific method, the importance of healthy scepticism and empirical evidence. But, his work also highlights the dangers of technology and the challenges it brings even as it makes our lives easier.
If you’re not sure where to start, you can get a few recommendations in our article The 10 best Isaac Asimov Books to Read Today where I detail a few of my personal favourites written by one of the greatest science fiction writers of our time.