One of the world’s greatest science fiction writers, Isaac Asimov, was born on this day in 1920 (or 1919, even his year of birth is intriguing).

Asimov wrote and edited over 500 books, including the short stories that the films I, Robot and Bicentennial Man were based on.

His 1941 novel Nightfall is widely regarded as the greatest science fiction story of all time.

Asimov’s writing has resulted in an asteroid, a crater on the planet Mars, a Brooklyn elementary school, and one of the world’s highest literary awards being named in his honor. He was also a longtime president of the American Humanist Association.

Above all, Asimov loved a quote. Ladies and Gentlemen, please enjoy 10 of the finest quotes from one of the finest minds of the last century, Isaac Asimov.

People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.

The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.

If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.

Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome.

Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.

I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them.

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

I write for the same reason I breathe – because if I didn’t, I would die.

It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety.

From my close observation of writers… they fall into two groups: 1) those who bleed copiously and visibly at any bad review, and 2) those who bleed copiously and secretly at any bad review.

I, Robot

by Isaac Asimov

In these stories Isaac Asimov creates the Three Laws of Robotics and ushers in the Robot Age.

When Earth is ruled by master-machines, when robots often seem more human than mankind, the Three Laws ensure that humans remain superior and the robots are kept in their rightful place.

But an insane telepathic robot results from a production error; a robot assembled in space logically deduces its superiority to non-rational humanity; and when machines serve mankind rather than individual humans, the machine′s idea of what is good for society may itself contravene the sacred Three Laws…

Amazing and timeless robot stories from the greatest science fiction writer of all time.

Grab a copy of Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot here

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About the Contributor

Andrew Cattanach

Andrew Cattanach is a regular contributor to The Booktopia Blog. He has been shortlisted for The Age Short Story Prize and was named a finalist for the 2015 Young Bookseller of the Year Award. He enjoys reading, writing and sleeping, though finds it difficult to do them all at once.

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