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The State of the Art - Bilingual quotes that celebrate the beauty of language, showcasing meaningful expressions in two unique perspectives.

The State of the Art - Bilingual quotes that celebrate the beauty of language, showcasing meaningful expressions in two unique perspectives.

"The State of the Art" is a collection of essays and stories by the renowned science fiction author Iain M. Banks. This compilation showcases his impressive range in the genre, illustrating his unique ability to blend imaginative ideas with thought-provoking themes. The book offers readers a glimpse into several of Banks' thought processes, exploring the potential of technology, the complexity of human nature, and the intricacies of sociopolitical structures in future societies.

The stories included reflect on various facets of life, examining the moral and philosophical dilemmas faced by individuals and societies. Banks' distinctive style captivates the reader, bringing forth vivid imagery and engaging characters. His witty and often satirical narrative approach invites readers to ponder deeper questions about the universe and our place within it.

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Taffy. He thinks about taffy. He thinks it would take his teeth out now, but he would eat it anyhow, if it meant eating it with her.

All our human endeavours are like that, she reflected, and it is only because we are too ignorant to realize it, or are too forgetful to remember it, that we have the confidence to build something that is meant to last.

by Alexander McCall Smith

In fact, none of us knows how he ever managed to get his LLB in the first place. Maybe they're putting law degrees in cornflakes boxes these days.

by Alexander McCall Smith

The value of money is subjective, depending on age. At the age of one, one multiplies the actual sum by 145,000, making one pound seem like 145,000 pounds to a one-year-old. At seven – Bertie's age – the multiplier is 24, so that five pounds seems like 120 pounds. At the age of twenty four, five pounds is five pounds; at forty five it is divided by 5, so that it seems like one pound and one pound seems like twenty pence. {All figures courtesy of Scottish Government Advice Leaflet: Handling your Money.}

by Alexander McCall Smith

Look, if you say that science will eventually prove there is no God, on that I must differ. No matter how small they take it back, to a tadpole, to an atom, there is always something they can't explain, something that created it all at the end of the search. And no matter how far they try to go the other way – to extend life, play around with the genes, clone this, clone that, live to one hundred and fifty – at some point, life is over. And then what happens? When the life comes to an end? I shrugged. You see? He leaned back. He smiled. When you come to the end, that's where God begins.

Small towns are like metronomes; with the slightest flick, the beat changes.

You say you should have died instead of me. But during my time on earth, people died instead of me, too. It happens every day. When lightning strikes a minute after you are gone, or an airplane crashes that you might have been on. When your colleague falls ill and you do not. We think such things are random. But there is a balance to it all. One withers, another grows. Birth and death are part of a whole.

we get so many lives between birth and death. A life to be a child. A life to come of age. A life to wander, to settle, to fall in love, to parent, to test our promise, to realize our mortality-and, in some lucky cases, to do something after that realization.

Where there's bluster, thinks Luisa, there's duplicity

by David Mitchell

I have the tendency to be nervous at the sight of trouble looming. As the danger draws near, I become less nervous. When the peril is at hand, I swell with fierceness. As I grapple with my assailant, I am without fear and fight to the finish with little thought of injury.

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