Frasi di Arthur C. Clarke

„Più meravigliosi sono i mezzi di comunicazione, più i suoi contenuti sembrano essere banali, osceni o deprimenti.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

„Dietro ogni uomo oggi vivente stanno trenta spettri, poiché questo è il rapporto con il quale i morti superano il numero dei vivi. Dagli albori del tempo, grosso modo cento miliardi di uomini hanno camminato sul pianeta Terra. Orbene, è questo un numero interessante, in quanto, per una coincidenza bizzarra, esistono approssimativamente cento miliardi di stelle nel nostro universo locale, la Via Lattea. Così, per ogni uomo che abbia vissuto, in questo universo splende una stella.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke, libro 2001: Odissea nello spazio

premessa
2001: Odissea nello spazio

„Lenin è stato sfortunato; è nato cent'anni troppo presto. Il comunismo sovietico avrebbe potuto funzionare, almeno per un po', se avesse avuto un microchip. E sarebbe riuscito a evitare Stalin.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke, libro 3001: Odissea finale

3001: Odissea finale

„L'unica maniera di scoprire i limiti del possibile è di oltrepassarli e finire nell'impossibile.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

da Profiles of the Future

„Non faccio finta di avere tutte le risposte. Ma vale sicuramente la pena pensare alle domande ...“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

„Ora sono un esperto scientifico; ciò significa che non so nulla di assolutamente tutto.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

„classical Hohmann orbit“

—  Arthur C. Clarke, libro 2010: Odissea due

2010: Odyssey Two

„Il sistema solare comprende il Sole, Giove e detriti vari.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

da 2061: Odissea tre

„Inoltre, avevano fatto il primo passo verso un'amicizia genuina. Si erano scambiati vulnerabilità.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

„Se qualcuno capisce il film alla prima visione, allora abbiamo fallito nel nostro intento.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

„I'm sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It's just been too intelligent to come here.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

IRC discussion at Scifi.com (1 November 1996) http://web.archive.org/web/20021201214228/http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/aclarke.txt with Clarke and Gentry Lee
1990s

„Every revolutionary idea seems to evoke three stages of reaction. They may be summed up by the phrases: (1) It's completely impossible. (2) It's possible, but it's not worth doing. (3) I said it was a good idea all along.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

„In my time I’ve been very fortunate to see many of my dreams come true!“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

90th Birthday Reflections (2007)
Contesto: In my time I’ve been very fortunate to see many of my dreams come true! Growing up in the 1920s and 1930s, I never expected to see so much happen in the span of a few decades. We "space cadets" of the British Interplanetary Society spent all our spare time discussing space travel — but we didn’t imagine that it lay in our own near future… I still can't quite believe that we've just marked the 50th anniversary of the Space Age! We’ve accomplished a great deal in that time, but the "Golden Age of Space" is only just beginning. Over the next 50 years, thousands of people will travel to Earth orbit — and then, to the Moon and beyond. Space travel — and space tourism — will one day become almost as commonplace as flying to exotic destinations on our own planet.

„Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

As quoted in Visions : How Science Will Revolutionize the Twenty-First Century (1999) by Michio Kaku, p. 295
2000s and attributed from posthumous publications

„Clarke's Second Law: The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

"Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination" in Profiles of the Future (1962)

„Clarke's Third Law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

Profiles of the Future (revised edition, 1973)
Origine: Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry Into the Limits of the Possible

„We have abolished space here on the little Earth; we can never abolish the space that yawns between the stars.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

We'll Never Conquer Space (1960)
Contesto: We have abolished space here on the little Earth; we can never abolish the space that yawns between the stars. Once again, as in the days when Homer sang, we are face-to-face with immensity and must accept its grandeur and terror, its inspiring possibilities and its dreadful restraints.

„I want to see lasting and meaningful peace achieved in Sri Lanka as early as possible. But I am aware that peace cannot just be wished; it involves hard work, courage and persistence.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

As quoted in the [Sri Lanka] Sunday Times (31 December 2000)
2000s and attributed from posthumous publications
Contesto: We should be less concerned about adding years to life, and more about adding life to years. I have been very fortunate to have witnessed some of humanity's greatest achievements during the 20th century that is nearing its end. Yet we must admit that it has also been the most savage century in the history of our kind. If I can have one more wish, I want to see lasting and meaningful peace achieved in Sri Lanka as early as possible. But I am aware that peace cannot just be wished; it involves hard work, courage and persistence.
As we welcome 2001, let us harness our collective energies to create a culture of peace and a land of prosperity.

„I now spend a good part of my day dreaming of times past, present and future.“

—  Arthur C. Clarke

90th Birthday Reflections (2007)
Contesto: I now spend a good part of my day dreaming of times past, present and future. As I try to survive on 15 hours sleep a day, I have plenty of time to enjoy vivid dreams. Being completely wheel-chaired doesn't stop my mind from roaming the universe — on the contrary!