“There is no doubt that a parallel exists between the big bang as an event and the Christian notion of creation from nothing.”

“...But every day I go to work I'm making a bet that the universe is simple, symmetric, and aesthetically pleasing... ”

“I recall the eerie pleasure of getting a copy of the U-2 Users' Manual.”

“Does Big Brother exist?""Of course he exists. The Party exists. Big Brother is the embodiment of the Party." "Does he exist in the same way as I exist?""You do not exist.”

“Actuality is when the lighthouse is dark between flashes: it is the instant between the ticks of the watch: it is a void interval slipping forever through time: the rupture between past and future: the gap at the poles of the revolving magnetic field, infinitesimally small but ultimately real. It is the interchronic pause when nothing is happening. It is the void between events.”

“The notion that you can somehow defeat violence by submitting to it is simply a flight from fact. As I have said, it is only possible to people who have money and guns between themselves and reality.”

“There are two kinds of creation myths: those where life arises out of the mud, and those where life falls from the sky. In this creation myth, computers arose from the mud, and code fell from the sky.”