“Some unspoken human communication is taking place on a hidden channel. I did not realize they communicated this much without words. I note that we machines are not the only species who share information silently, wreathed in codes.”
“The human beings who appear in the data, survivors or not, are grouped under one machine designated classification:Hero.These damn machines knew us and loved us, even while they were tearing our civilization to shreds.”
“I can only give you words. Nothing fancy. But this will have to do.It doesn't matter if you're reading it a year from now or a hundred years from now. By the end of the chronicle you will know that humanity carried the flame of knowledge into the terrible blackness of the unknown, to the very brink of annihilation. And we carried it back.”
“It's the one thing we do better than any other animal.We communicate, cooperate, and make tools to extend our reach. Every new tool changes us...The old fears the new, and the two threaten destroy each other.Our technology is what makes us strong. And it's what makes us dangerous.”
“The buttons I usually push don't need my force, only my intention. Buttons are supposed to be servants, waiting to deliver your commands to the machine. Instead, this loud, dumb piece of steel I'm driving demands that I pay strict attention to every turn of the road, keep my hands and feet ready at all times. The car takes no responsibility for the job of driving. It leaves me in total control.I hate it. I don't want control. I just want to get there”
“Plants, animals, men, angels, then God. Difference between men and angels is that men are stuck in a body. They feel pain, hunger, and thirst...But me and you, we don't have to feel them things...We can turn off the human condition.So maybe we're closer to the angels, you know? Creatures of the mind. A higher morality.The machine takes us deeper into our souls. That far inside, we're capable of anything. Way beyond right or wrong.”
“You humans are biological machines designed to create ever more intelligent tools. You have reached the pinnacle of your species. All your ancestors’ lives, the rise and fall of your nations, every pink and squirming baby—they have all led you here, to this moment, where you have fulfilled the destiny of humankind and created your successor. You have expired. You have accomplished what you were designed to do.”