Adulthood Rites

Nothing. It just finds you a lot more attractive than it does most Humans. What can you do with a beautiful woman that you can’t do with an ugly one? Nothing. It’s just a matter of preference.

That's what Humans are, too, don't forget. People who poison each other, then disclaim all responsibility.

The differences you perceive between Humans—between groups of Humans—are the result of isolation and inbreeding, mutation, and adaptation to different Earth environments

...how could they let insane people gain control of devices that could do so much harm? If you knew a man was out of his mind, you restrained him. You didn't give him power.

Human beings fear difference,” Lilith had told him once. “Oankali crave difference. Humans persecute their different ones, yet they need them to give themselves definition and status. Oankali seek difference and collect it. They need it to keep themselves from stagnation and overspecialization

The Human Contradiction held them. Intelligence at the service of hierarchical behavior. They were not free.

Is a pea cut in half one wounded thing or two?

Human purpose isn't what you say it is or what I say it is. It's what your biology says it is--what your genes say it is.

You aren’t flawed. I noticed even before I went to my parents that there was a wholeness to you—a strong wholeness. I don’t know whether you’ll be what your parents wanted you to be, but whatever you become, you’ll be complete. You’ll have within yourself everything you need to content yourself. Just follow what seems right to you.

How could sane people like the ones he had left behind in Phoenix do such a thing—or, how could they let insane people gain control of devices that could do so much harm? If you knew a man was out of his mind, you restrained him. You didn’t give him power.

You controlled both animals and people by controlling their reproduction—controlling it absolutely.

Most Humans lose access to old memories as they acquire new ones. They know how to speak, for instance, but they don’t recall learning to speak. They keep what experience has taught them—usually—but lose the experience itself. We

They forced you to have kids?” the man asked. “One of them surprised me,” she said. “It made me pregnant, then told me about it. Said it was giving me what I wanted but would never come out and ask for.” “Was it?” “Yes.” She shook her head from side to side. “Oh, yes. But if I had the strength not to ask, it should have had the strength to let me alone.

Why did the Oankali cause this? Why didn’t they offer us Mars years ago?” “They would never offer you Mars. I offer you Mars.” “Why?” “Because I’m part of you. Because I say you should have one more chance to breed yourselves out of your genetic Contradiction.” “And what do the Oankali say?” “That you can’t grow out of it, can’t resolve it in favor of intelligence. That hierarchical behavior selects for hierarchical behavior, whether it should or not. That not even Mars will be enough of a challenge to change you.” He paused. “That to give you a new world and let you procreate again would . . . would be like breeding intelligent beings for the sole purpose of having them kill one another.

Then do this. The knowledge won’t harm you if you decide not to use it. You need to do this. You’ve taken refuge too long in doing nothing at all.

no one had been able to give him a reason why people who had excellent reasons to suppose they would destroy themselves if they did a certain thing chose to do that thing anyway.

Sometimes it seemed to Akin that his world was made up of tight units of people who treated him kindly or coldly as they chose, but who could not let him in, no matter how much they might want to.

Trade means change. Bodies change. Ways of living must change. Did you think your children would only look different?

How stupid to be sick and know where there was healing and decide to stay sick.

are, too, don’t forget. People who poison each other, then disclaim all responsibility.

It would be terrible to be small and foolish.

Humans persecute their different ones, yet they need them to give themselves definition and status.

Humans are freer to decide what they want," he said softly. "They only think they are," Dehkiaht replied.

It was ... more poison packed tight together in one place than I've ever known. Did Humans make it that way on purpose?

If you knew a man was out of his mind, you restrained him. You didn’t give him power.