Arthur C. Clarke Quotes

A collection of quotes by Arthur C. Clarke.

Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) was a British science fiction writer, futurist, and inventor, widely known for his insightful predictions about the future of technology. He was born in Minehead, Somerset, England, and developed a keen interest in science from a young age. After completing his education, Clarke joined the Royal Air Force and served in World War II as a radar specialist.

Clarke's prolific writing career spanned over six decades and produced numerous influential works. His most famous novel, "2001: A Space Odyssey," published in 1968, was later adapted into a highly successful film by Stanley Kubrick. Clarke's exceptional storytelling skills combined with his profound scientific knowledge made his works celebrated classics of the science fiction genre.

Apart from his contributions to literature, Clarke made significant inventions and predictions that shaped the future. He is credited with proposing the concept of geostationary communications satellites in a 1945 article, which laid the foundation for modern telecommunications. This groundbreaking idea revolutionized global communication systems and later became a reality. Clarke's visionary ideas and accurate foresight earned him the nickname "Prophet of the Space Age."

Throughout his life, Clarke received numerous prestigious awards and accolades for his contributions to science and literature, including multiple Hugo Awards, Nebula Awards, and the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the popularization of science. Arthur C. Clarke's imaginative storytelling and scientific vision continue to inspire and captivate audiences around the world.

The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyo

The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible.

Arthur C. Clarke

If an elderly but distinguished scientist says that somethin

If an elderly but distinguished scientist says that something is possible, he is almost certainly right but if he says that it is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

Arthur C. Clarke

This is the first age that's ever paid much attention to the

This is the first age that's ever paid much attention to the future, which is a little ironic since we may not have one.

Arthur C. Clarke

Reading computer manuals without the hardware is a frustrati

Reading computer manuals without the hardware is a frustrating as reading sex manuals without the software.

Arthur C. Clarke

Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes

Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering.

Arthur C. Clarke

I am afraid that this chapter will amply demonstrate the tru

I am afraid that this chapter will amply demonstrate the truth of Clarke's 69th Law, viz., Reading computer manuals without the hardware is as frustrating as reading sex manuals without the software. In both cases the cure is simple though usually very expensive.

Arthur C. Clarke

Truth Computers Reading

We always thought the living earth was a thing of beauty. It

We always thought the living earth was a thing of beauty. It isn't. Life has had to learn to defend itself against the planet's random geological savagery.

Arthur C. Clarke

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that so

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Arthur C. Clarke

Technology Science Possibility Magic Impossibility

Magic's just science that we don't understand yet.

Magic's just science that we don't understand yet.

Arthur C. Clarke

A faith that cannot survive collision with the truth is not

A faith that cannot survive collision with the truth is not worth many regrets.

Arthur C. Clarke

Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by di

Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware, the nonexistence of Zeus or Thor, but they have few followers now.

Arthur C. Clarke

Religion Science

In this single galaxy of ours there are eighty-seven thousan

In this single galaxy of ours there are eighty-seven thousand million suns. [...] In challenging it, you would be like ants attempting to label and classify all the grains of sand in all the deserts of the world. [...] It is a bitter thought, but you must face it. The planets you may one day possess. But the stars are not for man.

Arthur C. Clarke

Humanity Science Space

It is a good principle in science not to believe any 'fact'-

It is a good principle in science not to believe any 'fact'---however well attested---until it fits into some accepted frame of reference. Occasionally, of course, an observation can shatter the frame and force the construction of a new one, but that is extremely rare. Galileos and Einsteins seldom appear more than once per century, which is just as well for the equanimity of mankind.

Arthur C. Clarke

But please remember: this is only a work of fiction. The tru

But please remember: this is only a work of fiction. The truth, as always, will be far stranger.

Arthur C. Clarke

Truth Fiction Weird Strange

He did not know that the Old One was his father, for such a

He did not know that the Old One was his father, for such a relationship was utterly beyond his understanding, but as he looked at the emaciated body he felt a dim disquiet that was the ancestor of sadness.

Arthur C. Clarke

Death Science Sadness Apes Ancestor

I'm sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It's just

I'm sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It's just been too intelligent to come here.[, 1 November 1996]

Arthur C. Clarke

Life Humor Funny Science Universe Extraterrestrials Intelligent Life

Science demands patience.

Science demands patience.

Arthur C. Clarke

As our own species is in the process of proving, one cannot

As our own species is in the process of proving, one cannot have superior science and inferior morals. The combination is unstable and self-destroying.

Arthur C. Clarke

Science Self Mankind

Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe

Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.

Arthur C. Clarke

Life Universe Aliens

The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the

The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion.

Arthur C. Clarke