Quotes from Earthseed: Books of the Living

Quotes from Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower

Here are the Earthseed quotes from "Parable of the Sower" by Octavia Butler

"Prodigy is, at its essence, adaptability and persistent, positive obsession. Without persistence, what remains is an enthusiasm of the moment. Without adaptability, what remains may be channeled into destructive fanaticism. Without positive obsession, there is nothing at all."

"All that you touch You Change. All that you Change Changes you. The only lasting truth Is Change. God Is Change."

"A gift of God May sear unready fingers."

"We do not worship God. We perceive and attend God. We learn from God. With forethought and work, We shape God. In the end, we yield to God. We adapt and endure, For we are Earthseed, And God is Change."

"Intelligence is ongoing, individual adaptability. Adaptations that an intelligent species may make in a single generation, other species make over many generations of selective breeding and selective dying. Yet intelligence is demanding. If it is misdirected by accident or by intent, it can foster its own orgies of breeding and dying."

"A victim of God may, Through learning adaption, Become a partner of God. A victim of God may, Through forethought and planning, Become a shaper of God. Or a victim of God may, Through shortsightedness and fear, Remain God's victim, God's plaything, God's prey."

"Belief Initiates and guides action-Or it does nothing."

“Drowning people Sometimes die fighting their rescuers.”

“We are all Godseed, but no more or less so than any other aspect of the universe, Godseed is all there is-- all that Changes. Earthseed is all that spreads Earthlife to new earths. The universe is Godseed. Only we are Earthseed. And the Destiny of Earthseed is to take root among the stars.”

“To get along with God, Consider the consequences of your behavior.”

"Civilization is to groups what intelligence is to individuals. It is a means of combining the intelligence of many to achieve ongoing group adaptation. Civilization, like intelligence may serve well, serve adequately, or fail to serve its adaptive function. When civilization fails to serve, it must disintegrate unless it is acted upon by unifying internal or external forces.”

“When apparent stability disintegrates, As it must, God is Change. People tend to give in To fear and depression, To need and greed. When no influence is strong enough To unify people They divide. They struggle, One against one, Group against group, For survival, position, power. They remember old hates and generate new ones, They create chaos and nurture it. They kill and kill and kill, Until they are exhausted and destroyed, Until they are conquered by outside forces, Or until one of them becomes A leader Most will follow, Or a tyrant Most fear.”

“Any Change may bear seeds of benefit. Seek them out. Any Change may bear seeds of harm. Beware. God is infinitely malleable. God is Change.”

"We are Earthseed The life that perceives itself Changing."

“There is no end To what a living world Will demand of you.”

"In order to rise From its own ashes A phoenix First Must Burn."

"Any Change may bear seeds of benefit. Seek them out. Any Change may bear seeds of harm. Beware. God is infinitely malleable. God is Change."

“Kindness eases Change.”

“Earthseed Cast on new ground Must first perceive That it knows nothing.”

"We are Earthseed. We are flesh-self-aware, questing, problem-solving flesh. We are that aspect of Earthlife best able to shape God knowingly. We are Earthlife maturing, Earthlife preparing to fall away from the parent world. We are Earthlife preparing to take root in new ground, Earthlife fulfilling its purpose, its promise, its Destiny."

"Embrace diversity. Unite-Or be divided, robbed, ruled, killed By those who see you as prey. Embrace diversity Or be destroyed."

“Once or twice each week A Gathering of Earthseed is a good and necessary thing. It vents emotion, then quiets the mind. It focuses attention, strengthens purpose, and unifies people.”

"The ground beneath your feet moves, Changes. The galaxies move through space. The stars ignite, burn, age, cool, Evolving. God is Change. God prevails."

"God is neither good nor evil, neither loving nor hating. God is Power. God is Change. We must find the rest of what we need within ourselves, in one another, in our Destiny."

“The Self must create Its own reasons for being. To shape God, Shape Self.”

“As wind, As water, As fire, As life, God Is both creative and destructive, Demanding and yielding, Sculptor and clay. God is Infinite Potential: God is Change.”

“Your teachers Are all around you. All that you perceive, All that you experience, All that is given to you or taken from you, All that you love or hate, need or fear Will teach youÑ If you will learn. God is your first and your last teacher. God is your harshest teacher: subtle, demanding. Learn or die.”

“Respect God. Shape God. Pray working.”

“Create no images of God. Accept the images that God has provided. They are everywhere, in everything. God is Change. Seed to tree, tree to forest; Rain to river, river to sea; Grubs to bees, bees to swarm. From one, many; from many, one; Forever uniting, growing, dissolving, forever Changing. The universe is God's self-portrait.”