If there were no goodness in people, mankind would still be confined to loping across a Savannah somewhere on Earth, watching the elephants rule, or some other more compassionate species.

If only we could have talked to you, the hive-queen said in Ender’s words. But since it could not be, we ask only this: that you remember us, not as enemies, but as a tragic...

What else should you be? Human beings didn’t evolve brains in order to lie around on lakes. Killing’s the first thing we learned. And a good thing we did, or we’d be dead, and the...

That’s what Father and Mother are, thought Nafai. They stay together, not because of any gain, but because of the gift. Father doesn’t stay with Mother because she is good for him, but rather because...

My mind, my logical, practical, reasoning mind, is peeing in his mind pants.

Humanity does not ask us to be happy. It merely asks us to be brilliant on its behalf.

[That wall] might be breached sometime in the future, but for now the only real conversation between them was the roots that had already grown low and deep, under the wall, where they could not...

Because these fools always look up for power. People above you, they never want to share power with you. Why you look to them? They give you nothing. People below you, you give them hope,...

The have influence, but no power.””In my experience, influence is power.

And then the queen wept with all her heart. Not for the cruel and greedy man who had warred and killed and savaged everywhere he could. But for the boy who had somehow turned into...

The emotion she could deal with best was anger.

Poke had never shared out so many raisins, because she had never had so many to share. But the little kids wouldn’t understand that. They’d think, Poke gave us garbage, and Achilles gave us raisins....

In America, film is the highest form of art that the public aspires to. People will come to me and say ‘Oh, your book was so good, they ought to make a movie out of...

I want to be the kind of boy you are, thought Bean. But I don’t want to go through what you’ve been through to get there.

You know how writers are… they create themselves as they create their work. Or perhaps they create their work in order to create themselves.

No human being, when you understand his desires, is worthless. No one’s life is nothing. Even the most evil of men and women, if you understand their hearts, had some generous act that redeems them,...

Bean sighed inwardly. It never failed. Whenever he had any conversation with Ender, it turned into an argument.

Everyone was always in such a rush to shoot forward that they never took the time to look back. Which was a mistake. If you wanted to avoid snags, kinks, knots, and cuts, you had...

There are rules to everything, even if nobody made them up, even if nobody calls it a game. And if you want things to work out well, it’s best to know the rules and only...

Do not shout at me, Mr. Quill,” said John [Adams]. “Justice may be blind, but she is not deaf.

I taught you everything you know. But I didn’t teach you everything I know.

Women always said things like that, and it made him crazy. It’s as if every conversation with a woman was a test, and men always failed it, because they always lacked the key to the...

Nero, you are an example to all the children on this shuttle. Because most of them are so foolish, they think it is better to keep their stupidest thoughts to themselves. You, however, understand the...

Metaphors have a way of holding the most truth in the least space.

You were baptized?””My sister told me that yes, Father baptized me shortly after birth. My mother was a Protestant of a faith that deplored infant baptism, so they had a quarrel about it.” The Bishop...

who would expect less?” she said. ” You’re a Wiggin.” ” Whatever that means.” He said. ” It means that you are going to make a difference in the world.

Because never in my entire childhood did I feel like a child. I felt like a person all along–the same person that I am today. I never felt that I spoke childishly. I never felt...

The classes were valuable, but the real education was the game.

Come in, Bean.” Come in Julian Delphiki, longed-for child of good and loving parents. Come in, kidnapped child, hostage of fate. Come and talk to the Fates, who are playing such clever little games with...

He woke up and fought another battle and won. Then he went to bed and slept again and dreamed again and then he woke up and won again and slept again and he hardly noticed...

Just because they didn’t know they were killing human beings doesn’t mean they weren’t killing human beings.

One bachelor is an irritation. Ten thousand bachelors are a war.

I need you to be clever, Bean. I need you to think of solutions to problems we haven’t seen yet. I want you to try things that no one has ever tried because they’re absolutely...

We have to go. I’m almost happy here.

I would carry some of it if I could, Bean said silently. Like I did today, you can turn it over to me and I’ll do it, if I can. You don’t have to do...

My father always said that government is like watching another man piss in your boot. Someone feels better but it certainly isn’t you.

In my experience, influence is power.

the power to cause pain is the only power that matters, the power to kill and destroy, because if you can’t kill then you are always subject to those who can, and nothing and one...

I didn’t want to hurt him!” Ender cried. “Why didn’t he just leave me alone!

It’s as if every conversation with a woman was a test, and men always failed it, because they always lacked the key to the code and so they never quite understood what the conversation was...

I didn’t want to kill them all. I didn’t want to kill anybody! I’m not a killer! You didn’t want me, you bastards, you wanted Peter, but you made me do it, you tricked me...

As the doctor treated the wound, Mazer said, ” I don’t care how much you eat, Ender, self-cannibalism won’t get you out of this school.

When you have a good romance, find ways to make their lives miserable and hellish…Do you think ‘Titanic’ would have been so popular if they had both lived? Not a prayer.

As a child of privilege, no one is your friend. They will claim to be your friends, they will laugh at your jokes and invite you to their parties, but they do not like you....

Bean could see the hunger in their eyes. Not the regular hunger, for food, but the real hunger, the deep hunger, for family, for love, for belonging.

Are you all right, Sir?” asked Hezekiah.”Just fighting over old battles in my mind,” said John. “It’s the problem with age. You have all these rusty arguments, and no quarrel to use them in. My...

Colonel Graff: We won! That’s all that matters.Ender Wiggin: No. The way we win matters.

Besides,” said Suriyawong. “This was not a rescue operation.””What was it, target practice? Chinese skeet?””An offer of transportation to an invited guest of the Hegemon,” said Suriyawong. “And the loan of a knife.”Achilles held up...

For the first time in his life, a teacher was pointing out things that Ender had not already seen for himself. For the first time, Ender had found a living mind he could admire.

I can see by your face that I’ll never persuade you. And that’s surprising, because usually you at least try to see my side.”I can see your side,” said Cecily. “I’ve got a much clearer...