“Dune Messiah” is filled with emotional rollercoasters, intense paradoxical arguments, and complex dialoguing portrayed with quotes. Frank Herbert exposed his characters’ regrets and aspirations and mocked their fickle ideologies and terrible actions.
Time
The flesh surrenders itself. Eternity takes back its own. Our bodies stirred these waters briefly, danced with a certain intoxication before the love of life and self, dealt with a few strange ideas, then submitted to the instruments of time. What can we say of this? I occurred. I am not yet, I occurred.
Paul Atreides – Chapter 11
Context: Paul thinks of his future and makes this statement internally.
What the Quote Means: The statement ponders on the relevance and destructiveness of time.
Why It Was Said: Paul thought of the statement because he was frustrated at the jihad and the events that led to him ascending the throne.
Time is an element that proved to be an enemy to the protagonist of “Dune Messiah.” Though Paul conquered his enemies and ascended the throne as emperor, the weight of his success began to wane his prescience and power. Admitting to his failures, Paul lost the test of time. Time takes back the flesh, but eternity continues life.
Here lies a toppled god. His fall was not a small one. We did but build his pedestal, a narrow and a tall one.
Tleilaxu Epigram – Chapter 10
Context: The above quote is a saying from the Bene Tleilaxu.
What the Quote Means: The statement addresses the rise and fall of Paul Atreides, a man likened to a god.
Why It Was Said: The quote was made to show that even gods can fall under the weight of their power.
The character Paul Atreides was a hero who fell from the pinnacle of his success. “Dune Messiah” showed how a hero is never far from crashing down. Revered by many as a God, time tested Paul and stripped him of everything that made him special.
Empires do not suffer emptiness of purpose at the time of their creation. It is when they have become established that aims are lost and replaced by vague rituals.
Words of Muad’Dib by Princess Irulan – Chapter 5
Context: Irunlan makes the statement above about the rise and fall of empires due to time.
What the Quote Means: The quote explains how empires self-destruct when they lose their purpose of creation.
Why It Was Said: Though it is Irulan’s writings, the statement is Paul Atreides’s words. He makes the statement explaining how all empires fall. Paul knew his reign would never last as his fight had ended.
A crucial question “Dune Messiah” asks is, what next after you have it all? Frank Herbert used the quote above to explain that massive governments and empires crumble because they lose their sense of advancement and purpose with time.
Religion
They are not mad. They’re trained to believe, not to know. Belief can be manipulated. Only knowledge is dangerous.
Scytale – Chapter 2
Context: Scytale makes the statement talking about the Fremen’s religious indoctrination.
What the Quote Means: The quote explains that the only true cure for indoctrination is knowledge.
Why It Was Said: Scytale reassured Irulan that the Fremen would be kept in check even with Paul gone. His reassurance came from the idea that they were prone to religious control and that prophecies would sway them.
The quote above shows how dangerous the lack of knowledge is. Though it seems to antagonize knowledge, it talks about how knowing kills blind belief. Frank Herbert used this quote to explain the dangers of religion when there is no knowledge.
And rulers are notoriously cynical where religions are concerned. Religion, too, is a weapon. What manner of weapon is religion when it becomes the government?
Edric – Chapter 9
Context: Edric was speaking to Paul when making this statement.
What the Quote Means: It warns people of the dangers of combining religion with politics.
Why It Was Said: Edric made the quote, calling out Paul’s mistake as a ruler.
The quote above asks a question that sparks both fear and mysteriousness. Frank Herbert always hated the idea of governments having sole power over everything. However, he asked an even more terrifying question in “Dune Messiah” involving governments and religion.
Governments and Power
Constitutions become the ultimate tyranny. They’re organized power on such a scale as to be overwhelming. The constitution is social power mobilized and it has no conscience. It can crush the highest and the lowest, removing all dignity and individuality. It has an unstable balance point and no limitations.
Paul Atreides – Chapter 5
Context: Paul makes this statement when talking about the universe’s politics.
What the Quote Means: The statement explains that hardened laws are detrimental as they offer no room for improvement and change.
Why It Was Said: Paul made this statement rejecting the request of the Ixian Confederacy. They wanted him to rule the universe under the Landsraad, but he rejected the idea of a constitution.
Paul Atreides realized that the key to preventing doom was to create a path that placed it on the track of exploration and free thought. However, he soon discovered that an enemy of his plan was the idea of a constitution. To Paul, constitutions make people mindlessly follow rules that cage their individuality and sense of exploration.
There exists a limit to the force even the most powerful may apply without destroying themselves. Judging this limit is the true artistry of government. Misuse of power is the fatal sin. The law cannot be a tool of vengeance, never a hostage, nor a fortification against the martyrs it has created. You cannot threaten any individual and escape the consequences.
Muad’Dib on law from the Stilgar Commentary – Chapter 22
Context: Paul made this statement talking about government control.
What the Quote Means: It explains how manipulative governments are and how they can fall if they use too much force.
Why It Was Said: Paul explained the concept of power and government dynamics.
The quote above portrays how good governments are at controlling people. Paul knew that power was something that could lead to doom. He even admitted to being a tyrant killer of the likes of Adolf Hitler and Genghis Khan. Paul knew that if he made a government with a hardened constitution, things could worsen for him.
Every civilization must contend with an unconscious force which can block, betray or countermand almost any conscious intention of the collectivity.
Tleilaxu Theorem – Chapter3
Context: the statement is an unproven Tleilaxu theorem about governments.
What the Quote Means: It explains that all governments have dark control systems that could actively destroy them.
Why It Was Said: The statement explained the concepts of government and power and elaborated on the dangers of unseen dark ideologies within power systems.
“Dune Messiah” focuses on the downfall of heroes and the fanatical governments that create after their image. The above quote explains that when a government builds on radical ideology, its destruction begins from within.
Truth
Truth suffers from too much analysis.
Ancient Fremen Saying – Chapter 7
Context: The statement is a quote the Fremen frequently used.
What the Quote Means: It explains that overanalysis can lead to bad decisions.
Why It Was Said: the Fremen were a simple group of people who believed in striking problems without a second thought.
Frank Herbert used “Dune Messiah” to propagate the idea that the truth was simple. He stated overthinking was a threat to reasoning and that the truth should be precise.
He may have truthsense, but some lies are easier to believe than the truth.
Irulan – Chapter 2
Context: Irulan replies to Edric’s statement with this quote.
What the Quote Means: She explained that though Paul could detect truth, he would want to believe her lies because they would benefit him.
Why It Was Said: Irulan made this statement while plotting with Edric, Scytale, and Reverend Mother Helen.
The truth is plain and accurate. However, it is harder to believe the truth because a lie always appeals to our human nature of hope and denial.
Loyalty
And loyalty is a valued commodity. It can be sold, not bought, but sold.
Alia Atreides – Chapter 21
Context: Alia makes this statement praising Duncan Idaho for his loyalty.
What the Quote Means: It explains the concept of loyalty and portrays how it is valuable.
Why It Was Said: Alia made this statement after Duncan tried comforting her for her pain.
The quote above gives an in-depth analysis of loyalty. It explains it could never be bought unless someone willingly gave it out. Our nature is to be loyal, and the quote portrays just how valuable that loyalty is.
The Fall of Gods and Heroes
I’ve heard enough sad histories of gods and messiahs. Why should I need special powers to forecast ruins of my own like all those others? The lowliest servant of my kitchens could do this.
Paul Atreides – Chapter 11
Context: Paul speaks to Hayt, Duncan Idaho’s ghola, about the future and his powers.
What the Quote Means: It portrays Paul’s regret and sadness concerning the future.
Why It Was Said: Paul scolds Hayt, asking him if he understands the weight the future holds.
As a troubled boy, Paul gained god-like powers and became a messiah cherished by the Fremen. However, he saw his future and realized heroes should not lead people. Paul saw his doom and regret washed over him as he knew there was no way to stop the future.
The thought produced emotional tensions. He remembered his earliest visions of the Jihad-to-be, the terror and revulsion he’d experienced. Now, of course, he knew visions of greater terrors. He had lived with the real violence. He had seen his Fremen, charged with mystical strength, sweep all before them in the religious war. The Jihad gained a new perspective. It was finite, of course, a brief spasm when measured against eternity, but beyond lay horrors to overshadow anything in the past
Paul Atreides – Chapter 5
Context: Paul thinks about the terrors he unleashed on the universe.
What the Quote Means: It explains the terror that lies in radical religious indoctrination.
Why It Was Said: Paul regretted his actions and knew all he did led to nothing but death.
After Paul became the ruler of the universe, he realized he was a failed god who unleashed hell because of a fictional belief. He regretted his actions but knew he was powerless to stop the jihad unleashed in his name. The quote warns of the dangers of false gods and heroes who are nothing but humans who radicalize others to do their bidding.
The Futility of Power
But it’d be just as correct to say it’s heaven speaking to us, that being able to read the future is a harmonious act of man’s being. In other words, prediction is a natural consequence in the wave of the present. It wears the guise of nature, you see. But such powers cannot be used from an attitude that prestates aims and purposes. Does a chip caught in the wave say where it’s going? There’s no cause and effect in the oracle. Causes become occasions of convections and confluences, places where the currents meet. Accepting prescience, you fill your being with concepts repugnant to the intellect. Your intellectual consciousness, therefore, rejects them. In rejecting, intellect becomes a part of the processes, and is subjugated.
Paul Atreides – Chapter 5
Context: Paul explains how his powers dampen his reasoning.
What the Quote Means: It explains how power can blind someone and force them into making terrible decisions.
Why It Was Said: Paul made this statement explaining his powerlessness. Even though he had prescience, it took control of his mind and forced him into a depressive state.
The power of a god should not fall to a human. The above quote explains this concept and states that wielding excessive control should not be given to one human because too much power corrupts even the purest of hearts.
Pain
But I’m sister to an Emperor who’s worshipped as a god. People fear me. I never wanted to be feared.
Alia Atreides – Chapter 21
Context: Alia tells Duncan why she hates her life.
What the Quote Means: It portrays the sadness of Alia’s life and shows how she entered a position she never wanted.
Why It Was Said: Alia felt pained by her life. She wanted to escape but could not avoid being the sister of an Emperor who was a messiah.
Alia had a sad life no one wished for. The circumstances of her birth were painful, and she just wanted to escape but could not. She made the statement above, trying to explain her pain to Duncan.
