There are no gods, we are told, so I must make my own salvation.

— Iain Banks

There has seldom if ever a shortage of eager young males prepared to kill and die to preserve the security, comfort and prejudices of their elders, and what you call heroism is just an expression of this simple fact; there is never a scarcity of idiots.

— Iain Banks

There is both fear and comfort to be drawn from devils--the fear speaks for itself, the comfort comes from being able to absolve oneself of responsibility for one's actions.

— Iain Banks

There's something very... I don't know; primitive, perhaps, about you, Urged. You've never changed sex, have you?' He shook his head. 'Or slept with a man?' Another shake. 'I thought so,' Yay said. 'You're strange, Urged.' She drained her glass.

— Iain Banks

This is so much like the old days. And, again, I have mixed feelings. In some ways it's good and comfortable to be fitting straight back in like I've never been away, but, on the other hand, I'm getting this constrictive feeling as well. It's the same places - like the bars and pubs on Friday night - the same people, the same conversations, the same arguments and the same attitudes. Five years away and not much seems to have changed. I can't decide if this is good or bad.

— Iain Banks

Torture is such a slippery slope; as soon as you allow a society or any legal system to do that, almost instantly you get a situation where people are being tortured for very trivial reasons.

— Iain Banks

To want more was not just childish, but cowardly, and somehow consolatory too. Death was change; it led to new chances, new vacancies, new niches and opportunities; it was not all loss.

— Iain Banks

Yes of course I know it's all a dream. Isn't everything?

— Iain Banks

You know, when I was in Paris, seeing Linter for the first time, I was standing at the top of some steps in the courtyard where Linter's place was, and I looked across it and there was a little notice on the wall saying it was forbidden to take photographs of the courtyard without the man's permission. [.] They want to own the light!

— Iain Banks

You need to read more science fiction. Nobody who reads science fiction comes out with this crap about the end of history

— Iain Banks