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.
— Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear
The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital to space travel. The Spacing Guild and its navigators, who the spice has mutated over 4,000 years, use the orange spice gas, which gives them the ability to fold space. That is, travel to any part of the universe without moving.
"He who controls the spice, controls the universe."
"Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." The Atreides are known for their military prowess and sense of honor. Duke Leto Atreides rules with wisdom and foresight.
The Harkonnens are brutal and cunning, ruled by the grotesque Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. They control spice production on Arrakis through terror and oppression.
The Imperial House that rules the Known Universe from the Golden Lion Throne. Emperor Shaddam IV maintains power through political maneuvering and control of the Sardaukar.
"Bless the Maker and His water. Bless the coming and going of Him. May His passage cleanse the world. May He keep the world for His people."
— Fremen Prayer
"The Fremen were supreme in that quality the ancients called 'spannungsbogen' — which is the self-imposed delay between desire for a thing and the act of reaching out to grasp that thing."
— Pardot Kynes
"You cannot avoid the interplay of politics within an orthodox religion. This power struggle permeates the training, educating and disciplining of the orthodox community."
— Missionaria Protectiva
"The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience. A process that cannot be understood by stopping it. We must move with the flow of the process."
— Liet-Kynes
Walk without rhythm, and you won't attract the worm.