I've spent a lot of my life among people brighter than myself. Larry Niven More Quotes by Larry Niven More Quotes From Larry Niven The reader has certain rights. He bought your story. Think of this as an implicit contract. He's entitled to be entertained, instructed, amused; maybe all three. If he quits in the middle, or puts the book down feeling his time has been wasted, you're in violation. Larry Niven writing book thinking In hindsight it may even seem inevitable that a socialist society will starve when it runs out of capitalists. Larry Niven hindsight may running Everything starts as somebody's daydream. Larry Niven dreamer dream love There were timelines branching and branching, a mega-universe of universes, millions more every minute. Billions? Trillions? The universe split every time someone made a decision. Split, so that every decision ever made could go both ways. Every choice made by every man, woman, and child was reversed in the universe next door. Larry Niven choices-made men children We learn only to ask more questions. Larry Niven asks In the world of words the imagination is one of the forces of nature. Larry Niven creating imagination writing It's very difficult for a black man to get out of South-Central Los Angeles, and get out civilized....The only men I know who have escaped, all began reading Robert Heinlein at age ten. Larry Niven black reading men Ethics change with technology. Larry Niven ethics technology There is a technical, literary term for those who mistake the opinions and beliefs of characters in a novel for those of the author. The term is 'idiot'. Larry Niven belief mistake character You learn by writing short stories. Keep writing short stories. The money's in novels, but writing short stories keeps your writing lean and pointed. Larry Niven story-writers stories writing There is no cause so good or noble that it will not attract fuggheads; and the fuggheads will get all the press. Larry Niven noble politics political One mark of a good officer, he remembered, was the ability to make quick decisions. If they happen to be right, so much the better. Larry Niven mark leader decision The best advice I was ever given was on my twenty-first birthday when my father said, Son, here's a million dollars. Don't lose it. Larry Niven advice father son Intelligence is just a tool to be used toward a goal, and goals are not always chosen intelligently. Larry Niven used tools goal The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn't have a space program. Larry Niven dinosaurs insightful space Any damn fool can predict the past. Larry Niven fool damn past A civilization has the ethics it can afford Larry Niven ethics civilization The Gods do not protect fools. Fools are protected by more capable fools. Larry Niven capable fool protect In challenging a kzin, a simple scream of rage is sufficient. You scream and you leap. Larry Niven scream simple challenges Fear is the brother of hate. Larry Niven hate brother fear
