After reading this carefully crafted work, it’s clear that it deserves this title: Herbert paints a vivid tale of the desert plan of Arrakis and the conflict, economic pressure, and political intrigue associated with it. It is befitting that a book of such high caliber contains numerous memorable quotes, ones not only important to the story but also relevant to actual life.

Straight from the beginning, an important Bene Gesserit (a sisterhood that plays a significant social, political, and religious role in Dune) philosophy is revealed on page 8:

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Paul Atreides, the main character, puts this saying to use numerous times in the book at pivotal points in the story and attempts to use it as a way to guide his actions. Whenever he is in a situation of harm or peril, rather than panicking and bringing “total obliteration” upon him he instead calmly and logically approaches the event and pulls himself through. This happens during his test of the gom jabbar, the failed assassination attempt on him, and is evident in his calm demeanor. Herbert even alludes to this Bene Gesserit axiom in a literal sense when Paul and his mother, Jessica, traverse a gargantuan sandstorm in an ornithopter by remaining focused and allowing it to pass around them while they emerge through the other side. Throughout the book, fear is one of the main enemies of the characters regardless of its embodiment and a crucial theme brought up time and time again is that of prevailing in the face of it. Most of the “good” happenings in the book arise when a character does not submit to their base emotions and instead considers the situation before acting whilst the “bad” decisions occur when fear is permitted to overwhelm. Mental control and discipline are highly respected and desired in the world of Dune and the most powerful characters in the book are stressed to have great amounts of

This quote does not just play an important role in Dune – in almost any situation, fear is best when it is controlled. A deer-in-headlights reaction leads to unfavorable circumstances while the ability to stay calm and collected brings about success. Fear is indeed “the mind-killer” and it is crucial to be able to respond to tense situations well. This quote represent abstract concepts, especially in almost cryptic ways, as this one has.

The Fremen, a race of mysterious desert nomads, also speak cryptically at times and use anecdotes to convey their thoughts. On page 209, one of the Fremen tells Hawat one such saying:

“Any man who retreats into a cave which has only one opening deserves to die,” the Fremen said.

This one quote conveys a fairly large amount of meaning. It was in response to Hawat telling the Fremen that his people had retreated to caves and been slaughtered there. The Fremen is not just referring to the fact that they had literally been trapped in a cave but that House Atreides had backed itself into a corner when it came to Arrakis. Even though they believed they could handle the threat posed by the Harkonnens, they were mistaken and this led to the near-elimination of the Atreides. The Fremen belief is that you should always have an escape route in any situation: one must adapt to any situation that arises. This is portrayed many times further in the book and the very basis of the Fremen society depends on flexibility and change. They move constantly, especially now that they are being hunted by the Harkonnen, and attempt to “go with the flow.”

The ability to adapt is one of the most important in life. Whether it is literal physical adaptation or simply psychological, the best way to fit in with your surroundings is to form yourself in a way that does not interrupt the current order of things. Much like a willow sways in the wind, so must a human sway in the flow of life. Stubbornness is, in the end, worse than compromise. The ability to adjust to your situation is yet another significant life lesson and one expressed in Dune.

This Fremen saying can also be interpreted as being about how confining oneself to a specific path in life instead of accepting change can be deadly. A cave with a dead-end could represent going nowhere in life – stagnation as opposed to the Freman fluidity. This selection appealed to me because it can be thought of in so many different ways that are concepts integral to the book.

Yet another excellent passage found within the book is found when Kynes, a planetologist, begins hallucinating about his dead father talking to him on page 269:

“Religion and law among our masses must be one and the same,” his father said. “An act of disobedience must be a sin and require religious penalties. This will have the dual benefit of bringing both greater obedience and greater bravery. We must depend not so much on the bravery of individuals, you see, as upon the bravery of a whole population.”

Some of Herbert’s true genius in this book is on his ability to illustrate the motivations of characters and groups. Here, he explains (through Kynes’ father) how religion was used to bend the Fremen culture into aiding Kynes’ goal of making a green planet. Kynes and his father used religion to their advantage by posing as godlike leaders for the Fremen. This allowed them to guide the Fremen’s interests in a way that benefited them.

While that is the specific relevance of this passage to the book, the quote has an overarching meaning: religion is a tool for controlling a large, ignorant populace while keeping them docile. It gives them positive reinforcement for actions perceived as “good” while discouraging them to do things that are dishonorable. This technique is used also by the Bene Gesserit through their Missionaria Protectiva. This Missionaria plants Bene Gesserit agents on planets to spread myths and legends that members of Bene Gesserit can use if ever in harm, or if they simply need help. In a sense, almost all of the religion in Dune was just fabrication created by the Bene Gesserit to manipulate others. They are the driving religious force in the galaxy.

This quote sparked interest in me because it demonstrates one of the more insidious uses of religion – that of being a source of power and control. Parallels can be drawn to ancient (and even fairly recent) history when rulers abuse religion. Stalin thought it was the “opiate of the masses,” and used it as a method of pacification. Various European explorers were greeted by the people of the Americas as gods at first, which has a striking similarity to the aforementioned Missionaria Protectiva (albeit completely unintended). Herbert does an excellent job of creating ideas that can be connected to reality.

The very last line of the book is poignant and leaves a strong message with the reader – on page 474, Lady Jessica says this:

“Think on it, Chani: that princess will have the name, yet she’ll live as less than a concubine – never to know a moment of tenderness from the man to whom she’s bound. While we, Chani, we who carry the name of concubine – history will call us wives.”

This line represents two concepts: it shows that it is not the title that makes the person but the person that makes the title and is also a slight reference to the fact that Paul’s reign as emperor will be remembered through history.

Jessica’s statement refers to the fact that although Paul will take the emperors daughter, Princess Irulan, as his wife, it is for purely political purposes and she will play no role in his life. On the other hand, Chani is Paul’s true lover and played a pivotal supporting part in his life (and will continue to play that role) but cannot become his wife. Jessica was in the same situation with Paul’s father, Duke Leto I, but was still his wife in reality. Thus, “history will call [them] wives” rather than concubines due to what they did. Their role will not be denied because of an issue in semantics.

Previously in the book, Glossu Rabban had been ruling Dune with an iron fist. Though he was the king of an entire planet, someone that should’ve been a wise role model, he was a horrific and inefficient dictator. The true hero at the time and the “king” of the people’s hearts was Paul-Muad’Dib, another example of when title does not befit role.

This statement can further be carried into aspects of life today. Just because a person has a certain title does not mean they will be what they seem. Some are deserving of titles while others are not. History remembers people by their actions rather than their name.

The second reason the book was ended with this message from Jessica to Chani was to remind the reader of the rather clear fact that the events of this book were probably the most important since the invention of space travel. The book is rounded off with a mention of how things will be remembered through history. This is effective as it also opens up the possibility of a sequel (there were five).

All in all, Dune is an epic work that was everything one could wish for from a science fiction novel. It truly does deserve its mantle as being one of the greatest works of science fiction literature of all time.