Larry Niven Quotes

Anyone who says human nature can’t be changed is out of his head. To make it stick, he’s got to define human nature—and he can’t.

11) There is a time and place for tact. And there are times when tact is entirely misplaced.

Long ago, Louis Wu had stood at the void edge of Mount Lookitthat. The Long Fall River, on that world, ends in the tallest waterfall in known space. Louis's eyes had followed it down as far as they could penetrate the void mist. The featureless white of the void itself had grasped at his mind, and Louis Wu, half hypnotized, had sworn to live forever. How else could he see all there was to see?
Now he reaffirmed that decision.

Wanted fan for plain sedition, like the singing of this tune. If NASA hadn't failed us we'd have cities on the moon. If it weren't for fucking NASA we'd at least have walked on Mars. If I never can make orbit, then I'll never reach the stars.

The gods do not protect fools. Fools are protected by more capable fools. She'd

There had been a popular joke on Freedom, started by a man named Calder. Looking down from space, he had said, the dominant life forms on Earth were obviously the cereals and other grasses. They occupied all the most desirable and fertile land; and they had tamed insects and animals to care for them. In particular, they had domesticated the bipeds to nurture and cultivate them and to save and plant their seed. Now, watching the farmers, Alex could easily imagine that they were worshiping and genuflecting before their masters.

“Ah…if it’s not a glitch, and Welles seems certain that it’s not a glitch, then…what is it?”
“A glitch. People who say that they have all the bugs usually haven’t turned over enough rocks.”

in intelligence work we have to go by capabilities, not by intentions. If a potential enemy can do something to you, you have to prepare for it, without regard to what you think he wants to do.

Have you been wondering just where we are? After all, theologians have debated for centuries over the exact location of Heaven. Some have said that Heaven can be found beyond the stars. Some say it exists in the heart of Man, and others claim that it does not exist at all, that God is dead, or at least unemployed.

The perversity of the universe tends towards a maximum. The universe is hostile.

"Nitwit ideas are for emergencies. You use them when you've got nothing else to try. If they work, they go in the Book. Otherwise you follow the Book, which is largely a collection of nitwit ideas that worked." Cargill

“Can you take orders?”
“I was in the army.”
“What does that mean?”
“Means yes.”

The luck of Teela Brown.

Peace isn’t a stable condition, not for us. Maybe not for anything that lives.

"Exercise is wonderful," said Louis. "I could sit and watch it all day."