This lens features the philosophical quotes featured in the computer game Civilization IV. When a new technology is discovered, a relevant quote appears and is read by Leonard Nimoy.
If you haven't played the game, you really owe it to yourself to do so. For your convenience, you can buy from Amazon or eBay below.
Below that are all 86 quotes featured in the game. Although the player chooses the order in which technology is discovered, I have presented the technologies in the most general order I could come up with.
Before the start of each game Leonard Nimoy is featured in a voiceover while the game loads. This is what he says:
In the beginning the earth was without form, and void.
But the sun shone upon the sleeping earth,
And deep inside the brittle crust, massive forces waited to be unleashed.
The seas parted, and great continents were formed.
Mountains arose, earthquakes spawned massive tidal waves.
Volcanoes erupted and spewed forth fiery lava,
And charged the atmosphere with strange gasses.
Into this swirling maelstrom of fire and air and water,
The first stirrings of life appeared.
Tiny organisms, cells and amoeba, clinging to tiny sheltered habitats.
But the seeds of life grew, and strengthened, and spread, and diversified, and prospered.
And soon every continent and climate teemed with life.
And with life came instinct, and specialization, natural selection, reptiles, dinosaurs and mammals.
And finally there evolved a species known as man.
And there appeared the first faint glimmers of intelligence.
The fruits of intelligence were many:
Fire, tools, and weapons,
The hunt, farming, and the sharing of food,
The family, the village, and the tribe.
Now it required but one more ingredient:
A great leader to unite the quarrelling tribes,
To harness the power of the land,
To build a legacy that would stand the test of time:
The civilization.
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Hunting
Ancient Era
"If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both."
- Native American saying
- Native American saying
Fishing
Ancient Era
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
- Lao Tzu
- Lao Tzu
Agriculture
Ancient Era
"Oh farmers, pray that your summers be wet and your winters clear."
- Virgil
- Virgil
Mining
Ancient Era
"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."
- Confucius
- Confucius
The Wheel
Ancient Era
"Put your shoulder to the wheel."
- Aesop
- Aesop
Mysticism
Ancient Era
"Nature herself has imprinted on the minds of all the idea of God."
- Cicero
- Cicero
Pottery
Ancient Era
"Hath not the potter power over the clay, to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?"
- The Bible, Romans
- The Bible, Romans
Archery
Ancient Era
"Do not throw the arrow which will return against you."
- Kurdish Proverb
- Kurdish Proverb
Masonry
Ancient Era
"It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls."
- Aristophanes
- Aristophanes
Polytheism
Ancient Era
"Not at all similar are the race of the immortal gods and the race of men who walk upon the earth."
- Homer
- Homer
Sailing
Ancient Era
"You can't direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails."
- Unknown
- Unknown
Meditation
Ancient Era
"Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back."
- The Buddha
- The Buddha
Bronze Working
Ancient Era
"It is entirely seemly for a young man killed in battle to lie mangled by the bronze spear. In his death all things appear fair."
- Homer
- Homer
Animal Husbandry
Ancient Era
"Blessed be the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep."
- The Bible, Deut. 28:4
- The Bible, Deut. 28:4
Writing
Ancient Era
"True glory consists in doing what deserves to be written; in writing what deserves to be read."
- Pliny the Elder
- Pliny the Elder
Priesthood
Ancient Era
"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace."
- The Bible, Numbers
- The Bible, Numbers
Horseback Riding
Ancient Era
"If you speak the truth, have a foot in the stirrup."
- Turkish Proverb
- Turkish Proverb
Monotheism
Ancient Era
"I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me."
- The Bible, Exodus
- The Bible, Exodus
Iron Working
Classical Era
"You should hammer your iron when it is glowing hot."
- Publius Syrus
- Publius Syrus
Metal Casting
Classical Era
"And them that take the sword shall perish by the sword."
- The Bible, Matthew
- The Bible, Matthew
Monarchy
Classical Era
"A multitude of rulers is not a good thing. Let there be one ruler, one king."
- Herodotus
- Herodotus
Alphabet
Classical Era
"Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world."
- The Buddha
- The Buddha
Literature
Classical Era
"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some to be chewed and digested."
- Sir Francis Bacon
- Sir Francis Bacon
Drama
Classical Era
"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts."
- William Shakespeare
- William Shakespeare
Mathematics
Classical Era
"If in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics."
- Roger Bacon
- Roger Bacon
Compass
Classical Era
"The wisest men follow their own direction."
- Euripides
- Euripides
Construction
Classical Era
"And on the pedestal these words appear: 'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' Nothing beside remains."
- Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Percy Bysshe Shelley
Code of Laws
Classical Era
"To bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, so that the strong should not harm the weak."
- Hammurabi's Code; Prologue
- Hammurabi's Code; Prologue
Currency
Classical Era
"Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it."
- Publius Syrius
- Publius Syrius
Calendar
Classical Era
"For everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven."
- Ecclesiastes
- Ecclesiastes
Philosophy
Medieval Era
"I have gained this by philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law."
- Aristotle
- Aristotle
Machinery
Medieval Era
"A god from the machine."
- Menander
- Menander
Theology
Medieval Era
"Two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self; the heavenly by the love of God."
- St. Augustine
- St. Augustine
Feudalism
Medieval Era
"I will to my lord be true and faithful, and love all which he loves and shun all which he shuns."
- Anglo Saxon oath of Fealty
- Anglo Saxon oath of Fealty
Civil Service
Medieval Era
"The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy."
- Unknown
- Unknown
Music
Medieval Era
"If music be the food of love, play on."
- William Shakespeare
- William Shakespeare
Paper
Medieval Era
"I cannot live without books."
- Thomas Jefferson
- Thomas Jefferson
Optics
Medieval Era
"One doesn't discover new lands without losing sight of the shore."
- Andre Gide
- Andre Gide
Engineering
Medieval Era
"A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupry
- Antoine de Saint-Exupry
Divine Right
Medieval Era
"I am the state."
- Louis XIV
- Louis XIV
Guilds
Medieval Era
"People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public."
- Adam Smith
- Adam Smith
Banking
Medieval Era
"Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies."
- Thomas Jefferson
- Thomas Jefferson
Printing Press
Renaissance Era
"What gunpowder did for war, the printing press has done for the mind."
- Wendell Phillips
- Wendell Phillips
Education
Renaissance Era
"There is no wealth like knowledge, no poverty like ignorance."
- Ali ibn Abi-Talib
- Ali ibn Abi-Talib
Gunpowder
Renaissance Era
"You can get more of what you want with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word."
- Al Capone
- Al Capone
Liberalism
Renaissance Era
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."
- Benjamin Franklin
- Benjamin Franklin
Nationalism
Renaissance Era
"A man does not have himself killed for a half-pence a day or for a petty distinction. You must speak to the soul in order to electrify him."
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- Napoleon Bonaparte
Military Tradition
Renaissance Era
"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."
- Sun-Tzu
- Sun-Tzu
Astronomy
Renaissance Era
"Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another."
- Plato
- Plato
Constitution
Renaissance Era
"No freeman shall be taken, imprisoned, or in any other way destroyed, except by the lawful judgment of his peers."
- The Magna Carta
- The Magna Carta
Democracy
Renaissance Era
"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."
- Winston Churchill
- Winston Churchill
Economics
Renaissance Era
"Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe."
- Albert Einstein
- Albert Einstein
Chemistry
Renaissance Era
"Chemistry means the difference between poverty and starvation and the abundant life."
- Robert Brent
- Robert Brent
Replaceable Parts
Renaissance Era
"The whole is more than the sum of its parts."
- Aristotle
- Aristotle
Rifling
Renaissance Era
"Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."
- Mao Zedong
- Mao Zedong
Corporation
Renaissance Era
"Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility."
- Ambrose Bierce
- Ambrose Bierce
Steel
Industrial Era
"Before that steam drill shall beat me down, I'll die with my hammer in my hand."
- from "John Henry, the Steel-Driving Man"
- from "John Henry, the Steel-Driving Man"
Scientific Method
Industrial Era
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."
- Galileo Galilei
- Galileo Galilei
Communism
Industrial Era
"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist."
- Dom Helder Camara
- Dom Helder Camara
Steam Power
Industrial Era
"You would make a ship sail against the winds and currents by lighting a bon-fire under her deck? I have no time for such nonsense."
- Napoleon, on Robert Fulton's Steamship
- Napoleon, on Robert Fulton's Steamship
Assembly Line
Industrial Era
"People can have the Model T in any color - so long as it's black."
- Henry Ford
- Henry Ford
Fascism
Industrial Era
"The great masses of the people... will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one."
- Adolf Hitler
- Adolf Hitler
Physics
Industrial Era
"To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction."
- Isaac Newton
- Isaac Newton
Artillery
Industrial Era
"Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl."
- Frederick the Great
- Frederick the Great
Biology
Industrial Era
"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, but the one most responsive to change."
- Charles Darwin
- Charles Darwin
Medicine
Industrial Era
"As to diseases make a habit of two things - to help, or at least, to do no harm."
- Hippocrates
- Hippocrates
Railroad
Industrial Era
"I fooled you, I fooled you, I got pig iron, I got pig iron, I got all pig iron."
- Lonnie Donegan, "Rock Island Line"
- Lonnie Donegan, "Rock Island Line"
Combustion
Industrial Era
"Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in car."
- E.B. White
- E.B. White
Electricity
Industrial Era
"We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles."
- Thomas Edison
- Thomas Edison
Fission
Industrial Era
"If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One... I am become Death, the Shatterer of Worlds."
- J. Robert Oppenheimer, quoting "The Bhagavad Gita"
- J. Robert Oppenheimer, quoting "The Bhagavad Gita"
Industrialism
Industrial Era
"There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wage possible."
- Henry Ford
- Henry Ford
Flight
Modern Era
"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return."
- Leonardo Da Vinci
- Leonardo Da Vinci
Refrigeration
Modern Era
"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are."
- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Radio
Modern Era
"Then one fine mornin' she puts on a New York station. You know her life was saved by Rock 'n' Roll."
- The Velvet Underground, "Rock And Roll"
- The Velvet Underground, "Rock And Roll"
Mass Media
Modern Era
"The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."
- Oscar Wilde
- Oscar Wilde
Rocketry
Modern Era
"The Earth is the cradle of the mind, but one cannot eternally live in a cradle."
- Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky
- Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky
Plastics
Modern Era
"I just want to say one word to you. Just one word: plastics."
- Calder Willingham, The Graduate
- Calder Willingham, The Graduate
Ecology
Modern Era
"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."
- Native American Song
- Native American Song
Computers
Modern Era
"Never trust a computer you can't throw out a window."
- Steve Wozniak
- Steve Wozniak
Genetics
Modern Era
"Soon it will be a sin for parents to have a child which carries the heavy burden of genetic disease."
- Bob Edwards
- Bob Edwards
Satellites
Modern Era
"Beep... beep... beep... beep..."
- Sputnik I
- Sputnik I
Composites
Modern Era
"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
- Aristotle
- Aristotle
Robotics
Modern Era
"The real problem is not whether machines think, but whether men do."
- B.F. Skinner
- B.F. Skinner
Fiber Optics
Modern Era
"There is a single light of science and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere."
- Isaac Asimov
- Isaac Asimov
Fusion
Modern Era
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
- Arthur C. Clarke
- Arthur C. Clarke
Future Technology
Modern Era
"The future will be better tomorrow."
- Dan Quayle
- Dan Quayle
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