Elon Musk mentioned Foundation by Isaac Asimov 17 times

In terms of sci-fi books, I think Isaac Asimov is really great. I like the Foundation series, probably one of the all-time best.

— Elon Musk

2014-11-01 on fs.blog

Asimov’s Foundation books were a strong influence on me as a child

— Elon Musk

[Asimov is] one of my favorite writers. Foundation is tough to make into a movie, but has outstanding potential.

— Elon Musk

Asimov was 🔥🔥

— Elon Musk

Worth reading Asimov’s Foundation

— Elon Musk

Mars is to Earth, as Terminus was to Trantor - Foundation by Asimov

— Elon Musk

Should prob articulate philosophy underlying my actions. It’s pretty simple & mostly influenced by Douglas Adams & Isaac Asimov.

— Elon Musk

Foundation Series & Zeroth Law are fundamental to creation of SpaceX

— Elon Musk

Last pic of Starman in Roadster on its journey to Mars orbit and then the Asteroid Belt with Asimov’s Foundation Series etched in glass in the glovebox. Zeroth law …

— Elon Musk

Asimov’s Foundation books should def be part of the mission. They’re amazing.

— Elon Musk

I think the Foundation series from Asimov is like one of the best [scrience fiction] ever

— Elon Musk

Unfortunately, Asimov's books largely illustrate why the three laws [of robotics] don't work

— Elon Musk

Reread Asimov's Foundation series. Brilliant.

— Elon Musk

It's sort of a futuristic version of Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Let's say you were at the peak of the Roman empire, what would you do, what action could you take, to minimise decline? The lessons of history would suggest that civilisations move in cycles. You can track that back quite far – the Babylonians, the Sumerians, followed by the Egyptians, the Romans, China. We're obviously in a very upward cycle right now and hopefully that remains the case. But it may not. There could be some series of events that cause that technology level to decline. Given that this is the first time in 4.5bn years where it's been possible for humanity to extend life beyond Earth, it seems like we'd be wise to act while the window was open and not count on the fact it will be open a long time.

— Elon Musk

2013-07-17 on theguardian.com

Asimov's Foundation points out that all civilizations fall. Must ensure dark period is short & finite.

— Elon Musk

Ignition by John Clarke, Huzel & Wang book on propulsion, Asimov's Foundation, [and] Heinlein's MiaHM [are my favorite books about space.]

— Elon Musk

The heroes of the books I read, ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and the ‘Foundation’ series, always felt a duty to save the world.

— Elon Musk

2009-08-24 on newyorker.com