Frank Herbert

bureaucracy destroy initiative

“Bureaucracy destroys initiative. There is little that bureaucrats hate more than innovation, especially innovation that produces better results than the old routines. Improvements always make those at the top of the heap look inept. Who enjoys appearing inept?”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

fear mind-killer little-death nothing

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

freedom captive desires discipline find liberty

“Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

human consciousness need logical universe beyond

“Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

mystery life problem solve reality experience

“The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

power corrupt attract corruptible

“Absolute power does not corrupt absolutely, absolute power attracts the corruptible.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

education substitute intellgence

“Education is no substitute for intelligence.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

mind command body obey order resistance

“The mind commands the body and it obeys. The mind orders itself and meets resistance.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

live past impossible present difficult future waste

“It is impossible to live in the past, difficult to live in the present and a waste to live in the future.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

belief manipulate knowledge dangerous

“Belief can be manipulated. Only knowledge is dangerous.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

truth suffer analysis

“Truth suffers from too much analysis.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

process understand stop flow join

“A process cannot be understood by stopping it. Understanding must move with the flow of the process, must join it and flow with it.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

nature mistake right wrong human category

“Nature does not make mistakes. Right and wrong are human categories.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

gift words illusion deception

“The gift of words is the gift of deception and illusion.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

thinking machines free enslave

“Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

research organized guarantee produce nothing

“Highly organized research is guaranteed to produce nothing new.”

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

power undeserving maintain hysteria

"The undeserving maintain power by promoting hysteria."

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

governmen problem powerattract pathological corruptible

"All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible."

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

government aristocratic ruling class royal oligarch bureaucracy

"Governments, if they endure, always tend increasingly toward aristocratic forms. No government in history has been known to evade this pattern. And as the aristocracy develops, government tends more and more to act exclusively in the interests of the ruling class— whether that class be hereditary royalty, oligarchs of financial empires, or entrenched bureaucracy."

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

leader mistake amplify follower

"The mistakes (of leaders) are amplified by the numbers who follow them without question. Charismatic leaders tend to build up followings, power structures and these power structures tend to be taken over by people who are corruptible. I don't think that the old saw about 'power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely' is accurate: I think power attracts the corruptible."

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

contribution humanity improve self

"The best contribution one can make to humanity is to improve oneself."

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

civilization cowardice fence horizon law chaos

"Most civilisation is based on cowardice. It's so easy to civilize by teaching cowardice. You water down the standards which would lead to bravery. You restrain the will. You regulate the appetites. You fence in the horizons. You make a law for every movement. You deny the existence of chaos. You teach even the children to breathe slowly. You tame."

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

technology tool human help destroy paradox

"Technology is both a tool for helping humans and for destroying them. This is the paradox of our times which we're compelled to face."

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

reason never people know right

"Never attempt to reason with people who know they are right!"

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)

education bureaucracy dull children question sensitivity

"Educational bureaucracies dull a child's questing sensitivity. The young must be dampened down. Never let them know how good they can be. That brings change. Spend lots of committee time talking about how to deal with exceptional students. Don't spend any time dealing with how the conventional teacher feels threatened by emerging talents and squelches them because of a deep-seated desire to feel superior and safe in a safe environment."

― Frank Herbert (1920-1986)