Freeman Dyson

The ultimate goal of technology, the telos of techne, is to replace a natural world that's indifferent to our wishes with an artificial world that responds to our needs.

A theory is more impressive the greater is the simplicity of its premises, the more different are the kinds of things it relates, and the more extended its range of applicability.

We are like sailors who have to rebuild their ship on the open sea, without ever being able to dismantle it in dry-dock and reconstruct it from the best components.

The best way to become a prophet is to choose a date far enough in the future that nobody will remember your prediction when the time comes.