Home > Work > Sleeping Giants (Themis Files, #1)
41 " Alterity? —The concept of “otherness.” What I am is very much a function of what I am not. If the “other” is the Muslim world, then I am the Judeo-Christian world. If the other is from thousands of light-years away, I am simply human. Redefine alterity and you can erase boundaries. "
― Sylvain Neuvel , Sleeping Giants (Themis Files, #1)
42 " Megalomaniacs with delusions of grandeur are notoriously difficult to handle, but how generations of them can follow one another is beyond me. "
43 " —So it is not your fault if people have a problem with you. That is just who you are. —Something like that. "
44 " Generally speaking, people tend not to question what they’ve been told was true. Scientists are no different; they’ve just been told a lot more things. As a physicist, it would never occur to me to question the four fundamental forces, for example. I take them for granted, like every other thing I learned, and I try to build on that. We always look forward; never look back. But this thing…it’s different. It challenges us. It spits in the face of physics, anthropology, religion. It rewrites history. It dares us to question everything we know about ourselves…about everything. I must sound pretty philosophical again. "
45 " I suppose that’s why people are disenchanted with politics. They expect whoever they elect to change their lives. "
46 " I sincerely hope you are correct. My deepest wish is for this discovery to redefine alterity for all of us. "
47 " The concept of “otherness.” What I am is very much a function of what I am not. "
48 " They cannot be threatened, as they feel themselves superior to the one making the threat. They cannot be reasoned with, and most importantly, they are 100 percent convinced of their righteousness, so they cannot be bought. Megalomaniacs with delusions of grandeur are notoriously difficult to handle, but how generations of them can follow one another is beyond me. "
49 " You have to understand that this flies in the face of everything we know about American civilizations. "
50 " I mean, how could anyone start something like this and not know how it turns out? "
51 " You can't look at this thing and not know it was built to intimidate. Anyone who came face-to-face with this thing was meant to be awed and terrified at the same time. Form follows function.That the life is recognizable in its expression. That form ever follows function. That is the law. "
52 " We should really set up the elevator for this. [...] It's bad enough I have to bring up furniture. When you speak to our mutual friend, ask him if they found anything resembling an alien stepladder in the Arctic. "
53 " Redefine alterity and you can erase boundaries. "
54 " I was never really good at making friends. I liked reading; I liked walking in the woods; I liked being alone. And I always felt a little out of place with other kids my age. "
55 " People often confuse leadership with managerial skills. I agree with their assessment. You certainly have the ability to inspire people. Minutiae, on the other hand, might not be your forte. That being said, even if you are not the most organized person in the world, it would be a shame not to let everyone benefit from your experience and wisdom. "
56 " —Desensitized. Made less sensitive. People have seen too many alien movies to be completely shocked by their existence. You expose someone to something long enough and they become…desensitized. "
57 " Walking is a lot more complicated than people think. We do it unconsciously, but it's a lot more difficult if you have to think it through. Make a comment to someone about the way they walk and see how awkward they become. "
58 " —I sincerely hope you are correct. My deepest wish is for this discovery to redefine alterity for all of us. —Alterity? —The concept of “otherness.” What I am is very much a function of what I am not. If the “other” is the Muslim world, then I am the Judeo-Christian world. If the other is from thousands of light-years away, I am simply human. Redefine alterity and you can erase boundaries. "