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Orson Scott Card Quotes - Page 4

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Short stories are designed to deliver their impact in as few pages as possible. A tremendous amount is left out, and a good short story writer learns to include only the most essential information.

Short stories are designed to deliver their impact in as few pages as possible. A tremendous amount is left out, and a good short story writer learns to include only the most essential information.

Orson Scott Card
Writing, Impact, Story Writers

And yet.. even if you had been right, it would only have been by accident. A broken clock is right two times a day.

Orson Scott Card
Two, Broken, Clock
Orson Scott Card (2002). “Ender's Shadow”, p.81, Macmillan

The great forces of history were real, after a fashion. But when you examined them closely, those great forces always came down to the dreams and hungers and judgments of individuals.

Orson Scott Card
Dream, Fashion, Real
Orson Scott Card (2010). “Keeper of Dreams”, p.106, Macmillan

Human: That's stupid. Isn't there grass on both sides?

Orson Scott Card
Stupid, Sides, Grass
Orson Scott Card (2013). “The Ender Quintet”, p.424, Macmillan

The only true vision comes not from God but from the inmost recesses of the human mind.

Orson Scott Card
Mind, Vision, Recess
Orson Scott Card (2016). “Seventh Son and Red Prophet”, p.66, Macmillan

A man who can't read only knows what other folks tell him.

Orson Scott Card
Men, Folks, Knows
Orson Scott Card (2003). “Seventh Son: The Tales of Alvin Maker”, p.234, Macmillan

It is a common trait of primates to become submissive and even worshipful toward one who has the power to kill them.

Orson Scott Card
Common, Submissive, Primates
Orson Scott Card (2009). “Shadow of the Hegemon”, p.264, Macmillan

Sickness and healing are in every heart; death and deliverance in every hand.

Orson Scott Card
Healing, Heart, Hands

Asking a man if he could be trusted was like asking an unwed girl if she was a virgin. The question mattered, but the asking of it was gross insult.

Orson Scott Card
Girl, Men, Asking
Orson Scott Card (2009). “Hart's Hope”, p.104, Macmillan

Withholding a decision is a decision.

Orson Scott Card
Decision, Withholding
Orson Scott Card (2009). “Xenocide: Volume Three of the Ender Quintet”, p.339, Macmillan

Once you have the gallows, you'll find new reasons to hang people from it.

Orson Scott Card
People, Reason, Gallows
Orson Scott Card (2010). “Heartfire: The Tales of Alvin Maker”, p.133, Macmillan

Let's fly away and live forever

Orson Scott Card
Forever, Fly Away, Live Forever
Orson Scott Card (2013). “The Ender Quintet”, p.235, Macmillan

Isn’t that what it means to be civilized? That you can wait to get what you want?

Orson Scott Card
Mean, Waiting, Want
Orson Scott Card (2002). “Ender's Shadow”, p.49, Macmillan

I looked for perfection, and I found something better.

Orson Scott Card
Perfection, Found, Something Better
Orson Scott Card (2013). “The Ender Quintet”, p.929, Macmillan

...You believe that the kind of story you want to tell might be best received by the science fiction and fantasy audience. I hope you're right, because in many ways this is the best audience in the world to write for. They're open-minded and intelligent. They want to think as well as feel, understand as well as dream. Above all, they want to be led into places that no one has ever visited before. It's a privilege to tell stories to these readers, and an honour when they applaud the tale you tell.

Orson Scott Card
Dream, Believe, Writing

To have a choice at all is to be free - even when the choice is between two terrible things.

Orson Scott Card
Two, Choices, Terrible
Orson Scott Card (1992). “The Worthing Saga”, p.108, Macmillan

Even the most introverted person alive is constantly hungry for human association

Orson Scott Card
Alive, Association, Hungry
Orson Scott Card (2003). “Shadow Puppets”, p.93, Macmillan

Most victories came from instantly exploiting your enemy's stupid mistakes, and not from any particular brilliance in your own plan.

Orson Scott Card
Mistake, Stupid, Enemy
"Ender's Shadow". Book by Orson Scott Card, 1999.

In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them.... I destroy them.

Orson Scott Card
Love, Believe, Thinking
Orson Scott Card (2010). “Ender's Game”, p.152, Macmillan

Perhaps it's impossible to wear an identity without becoming what you pretend to be.

Orson Scott Card
Inspirational, Life, Identity
Orson Scott Card (2010). “Ender's Game”, p.148, Macmillan

I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves.

Orson Scott Card
Believe, Thinking, Want
Orson Scott Card (2010). “Ender's Game”, p.152, Macmillan

Human beings are free except when humanity needs them. Maybe humanity needs you. To do something. Maybe humanity needs me—to find out what you're good for. We might both do despicable things, Ender, but if humankind survives, then we were good tools.

Orson Scott Card
Humanity, Needs, Tools
Orson Scott Card (2013). “The Ender Quintet”, p.50, Macmillan

In philosophy class I think we finally decided that 'good' is an infinitely recursive term - it can't be defined except in terms of itself. Good is good because it's better than bad, though why it's better to be good than bad depends on how you define good, and on and on.

Orson Scott Card
Philosophy, Thinking, Class
Orson Scott Card (2008). “Ender in Exile”, p.32, Macmillan

Evil people naturally assume that you will use that power exactly as they would use it.

Orson Scott Card
Evil People, Use, Assuming
Orson Scott Card (2010). “Heartfire: The Tales of Alvin Maker”, p.60, Macmillan

The danger that keeps me just a little frightened with every book I write, however, is that I'll overreach myself once too often and try to write a story that I'm just plain not talented or skilful enough to write. That's the dilemma every storyteller faces. It is painful to fail. But it is far sadder when a storyteller stops wanting to try.

Orson Scott Card
Pain, Failure, Book
"Speaker for the Dead". Book by Orson Scott Card, August 15, 1994.

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