List of notable quotes from Hiroko Ai.
Red Mars[]
The Voyage Out[]
“Everything is different in a closed system."
“We don’t understand the why of things at all.”
“Do you really think money matters anymore?”
The Crucible[]
“Shikata ga nai” (There is no other choice).
“Mars will tell us what it wants and then we’ll have to do it.”
Homesick[]
“This is viriditas" (Green Strength)
“This is your initiation into the areophany, the celebration of the body of Mars. Welcome to it. We worship this world. We intend to make a place for ourselves here, a place that is beautiful in a new Martian way, a way never seen on Earth. We have built a hidden refuge in the south, and now we are leaving for it. We know you, we love you. We know we can use your help. We know you can use our help. We want to build just what you are yearning for, just what you have been missing here. But all in new forms. For we can never go back. We must go forward. We must find our own way. We start tonight. We want you to come with us.”
Falling Into History[]
“We didn’t mean to be selfish. We wanted to try it, to show by experiment how we can live here. Someone has to show what you mean when you talk about a different life, John Boone. Someone has to live the life.”
“Most ignorance is by choice, you know, and so ignorance is very telling about what really matters to people. You did not want children, and so you did not know about late birth. But we did, and so we learned the techniques. And when you meet the results, I think you will see it was a good idea. I think you will thank us. What have you lost, after all? These children are ours. But they have a genetic link to you, and from now on they will exist for you, as an unexpected gift, say. As a quite extraordinary gift.” Her Mona Lisa smile appeared and disappeared.
Shikata Ga Nai[]
“This is home. This is where we start again.”