I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. I've tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity; I know nothing. Live now; make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again. When dreams become more important than reality, you give up travel, building, creating; you even forget how to repair the machines left behind by your ancestors. You just sit living and reliving other lives left behind in the thought records. We're a most promising species, Mr. Spock, as predators go. Did you know that? I frequently have my doubts. I don't. Not any more. And maybe in a thousand years or so, we'll be able to prove it. I speak of rights! A machine has none; a man must. If you do not grant him that right, you have brought us down to the level of the machine; indeed, you have elevated that machine above us! It's hard to believe that something which is neither seen nor felt can do so much harm. Look at these three words written larger than all the rest, and with special pride never written before or since -- tall words, proudly saying "We the people" ... these words and the words that follow ... must apply to everyone or they mean nothing. Live Long and Prosper. I’ve done far worse than kill you. …I’ve hurt you; and I intend to go on… hurting you. I will leave you as you left me; as you left her. Marooned for all eternity at the center of a dead planet. …Buried alive; buried alive….
... the prejudices people feel about each other disappear when they get to know each other. Without followers, evil cannot spread. We prefer to help ourselves. We make mistakes, but we're human -- and maybe that's the word that best explains us. It's hard to believe that something which is neither seen nor felt can do so much harm. Without freedom of choice there is no creativity. Beam Me Up, Scotty! Resistance Is Futile!
You may find that having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting. This is not logical, but it is often true. What makes one man an exceptional leader? We see indications that it's his negative side which makes him strong, that his evil side, controlled and disciplined, is vital to his strength. Your negative side removed from you, the power of command begins to elude you. To all mankind -- may we never find space so vast, planets so cold, heart and mind so empty that we cannot fill them with love and warmth. It's time you learned that freedom is never a gift. It has to be earned. Nuclear Wessels! So much for the little training cruise. No, Kirk, no. You’ll not escape. From hell’s heart, I stab at thee. …For spite’s sake, I spit my last breath at thee.