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James Albert Michener
(3 Feb 1907 - 16 Oct 1997)
American writer whose best-known works include the Pulitzer Prize-winning Tales of the South Pacific (1947) and the historical panorama Centennial (1974). These became the basis, respectively, of the 1949 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical South Pacific, and a television series (1978-79).
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Science Quotes by James Albert Michener (4 quotes)
An age is called Dark, not because the light fails to shine, but because people refuse to see.
— James Albert Michener
From Space: A Novel (1983), 709. As cited by David G. Anderson, 'Archaic Mounds and Southeastern Tribal Societies', in Jon L. Gibson, Philip J. Carr (ed.), Signs of Power: The Rise of Cultural Complexity in the Southeast (2004), 297. A footnote by Anderson explains that Michener described the supernova of 1054 A.D. which blazed for 23 days and was recorded around the world, except in western Europe where religious dogma insisted the heavens were immutable. The quote above was Michener’s comment on that “refusal to see.”.
Creative geniuses are a slap-happy lot. Treat Them with respect.
— James Albert Michener
In The Novel (1991), 53.
Scientists dream about doing great things. Engineers do them.
— James Albert Michener
In Space: A Novel (1982), 173.
We should be most careful about retreating from the specific challenge of our age. We should be reluctant to turn our back upon the frontier of this epoch… We cannot be indifferent to space, because the grand slow march of our intelligence has brought us, in our generation, to a point from which we can explore and understand and utilize it. To turn back now would be to deny our history, our capabilities.
— James Albert Michener
At a 1979 U.S. Senate hearing. As quoted in House Congressional Record (21 Jun 1991), 13874. Also quoted in James E. Oberg, Mission to Mars: Plans and Concepts for the First Manned Landing (2017), 174.
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
(1987) -- 
