She had called in the debt that parents owe a child for bringing her, unasked, into a strange world. - David Brin

Knowledge isn’t restrained by the limits of Malthus. Information doesn’t need topsoil to grow in, only freedom. Given eager minds and experimentation, it feeds itself like a chain reaction.

Trouble is synonymous with being a metabolizing entity.

Another notion occurred to me as I stood contemplating my next move—a piece of advice Clara once offered:
“When in doubt, try not to think like the dumb hero of some movied.”
Charging into danger was one of those overused cinematic clichés, religiously adhered to by eight generations of brain-dead producers and directors. Another went: A hero must always assume that the authorities are evil, or useless, or bound to misunderstand. It helps keep the plot rolling if your protagonist never thinks of calling for help.