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Ray Bradbury was a man of words. Some he spoke, some he wrote, and many of them burned with a passion for words themselves.
"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you," Bradbury, who died Tuesday night at the age of 91, wrote in 1992's Zen in the Art of Writing.
Indeed, for everything that the Fahrenheit 451 author was enthusiastic about, he had a wonderful turn of phrase to express it, whether it was in one of his books or in an interview. To commemorate his wise words, here are some of his most memorable quotes on life's most important topics and biggest ideas.
Ray Bradbury on Sci-Fi
"Science fiction is any idea that occurs in the head and doesn't exist yet, but soon will, and will change everything for everybody, and nothing will ever be the same again. As soon as you have an idea that changes some small part of the world you are writing science fiction. It is always the art of the possible, never the impossible." -- to The Paris Review in 2010
Ray Bradbury on Learning
"If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn." -- in Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury on Politics
"I don't believe in government. I hate politics. I'm against it. And I hope that sometime this fall, we can destroy part of our government, and next year destroy even more of it. The less government, the happier I will be." -- to Time in 2010.
Ray Bradbury on the Internet
"This thing is bound to fail. Napster's out there, stealing everyone blind. They're stealing people's work. They should be put in jail, all of them." -- to the Orlando Sentinel in 2000
Ray Bradbury on Sanity
"Insanity is relative. It depends on who has who locked in what cage." -- in The Meadow
Ray Bradbury on the Rise of the Machines
"I've tried for 20 years at least to say I'm not afraid of machines, I'm not afraid of the computer, I don't think the robots are taking over. I think the men who play with toys have taken over." -- to Writer's Digest in 1976
Ray Bradbury on God
"My religion encompasses all religions. I believe in God, I believe in the universe. I believe you are god, I believe I am god; I believe the earth is god and the universe is god. We're all god." -- to Time in 2010.
Ray Bradbury on How to Live
"Work is the only answer. I have three rules to live by. One, get your work done. If that doesn't work, shut up and drink your gin. And when all else fails, run like hell!" -- in The Paris Review in 2010
Ray Bradbury on Love
"At the center of religion is love.... I love you and I forgive you. I am like you and you are like me. I love all people. I love the world. I love creating.... Everything in our life should be based on love." -- to CNN in 2010
