The majesty of Dune

I've been meaning to re-read Frank Herbert's Dune for a while.  I haven't, though, and I know why.  It's because I'm afraid I won't like it as much as I did when I read it all those years ago.  And I don't want to ruin those fond memories.

Having said that, I'm starting to think that my worries are unfounded.  I've been skimming through some quotes from the book, and the language is just as powerful and majestic as ever.

Here are a few quotes from the masterpiece of science fiction:

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

What do you despise? By this are you truly known.

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

Try looking into that place where you dare not look! You'll find me there, staring out at you!

Greatness is a transitory experience. It is never consistent. It depends in part upon the myth-making imagination of humankind. The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in. He must reflect what is projected upon him. And he must have a strong sense of the sardonic. This is what uncouples him from belief in his own pretensions. The sardonic is all that permits him to move within himself. Without this quality, even occasional greatness will destroy a man.

Proper teaching is recognized with ease. You can know it without fail because it awakens within you that sensation which tells you this is something you have always known.

The willow submits to the wind and prospers until one day it is many willows - a wall against the wind.