The honest philosopher is rewarded with poison; the hypocrite is rewarded with power.

Straton wrote that the most common error we commit is to think that ideas determine reality, when in fact the opposite is true. Ideas follow from material conditions; belief systems are formed to explain and justify the way we live. We did not have kings because we believed in the mandate of heaven; we believed in the mandate of heaven because we lived in monarchies.

There's no human building that can survive without maintenance. Roots are stronger than concrete.

The truth cannot be pursued or uncovered, it can only be found where it has already taken root.

It's not right to make fun of Melville's comically absurd inability to take decent pictures.
She's a hyper-advanced humanoid machine, not a photographer.