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Don't give over all of your critical faculties to people in power, no matter how admirable those people may appear to be. Beneath the hero's facade yo...more

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There is only one true wealth in all the universe--living time.

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Dune was a world of paradox now—a world under siege, yet the center of power. To come under siege, he decided, was the inevitable fate of power.

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Then are there no rules at all, Lord?” Moneo's voice conveyed a faint hint of hysteria.Leto smiled to ease the man's tensions. “Perhaps one. Short–ter...more

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All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities.

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Create or arouse such unbridled forces and you built carnal fantasies of enormous complexity. You could lead whole populations around by their desires...more

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Power attracts the corruptible. Suspect any who seek it.

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All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the co...more

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To exist is to stand out, away from the background," The Preacher said. "You aren't thinking or really existing unless you're willing to risk even you...more

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But one learns from books and reels only that certain things can be done. Actual learning requires that you do those things.

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There is no escape—we pay for the violence of our ancestors.

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One must always keep the tools of statecraft sharp and ready. Power and fear – sharp and ready.

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On Caladan, we ruled with sea and air power," the Duke said. "Here, we must scrabble for desert power. This is your inheritance, Paul.

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A ruler must learn to persuade and not to compel... he must lay the best coffee hearth to attract the finest men... a good ruler has to learn his worl...more

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Constitutions become the ultimate tyranny," Paul said. "They’re organized power on such a scale as to be overwhelming. The constitution is social powe...more