# Quote — Arthur C. Clarke, Firstborn

> “You’re not too heavily laden, Professor. What are those documents?”
>
> “Star charts,” he said firmly. “The true treasure of our civilization. A few books too—oh, what a horror it was that we were not able to empty the libraries! For once a book is lost to the ice, a little more of our past is gone forever. But as to my personal effects, my pots and pans, I have my own troop of slave bearers to help me with all that. They are called graduate students.”

- Author: [Arthur C. Clarke](https://www.leafyquotes.com/arthur-c-clarke.md)
- Book: [Firstborn](https://www.leafyquotes.com/arthur-c-clarke/firstborn.md)
- Page: 327
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke#Firstborn_(2007)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Topics: [knowledge](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/knowledge.md)
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/arthur-c-clarke/firstborn/youre-not-too

## More from this book

> You do realize how many impossible things have to be true for that to have happened?

p. 187 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/arthur-c-clarke/firstborn/you-do-realize.md)

> Slickness of presentation didn’t imply comprehensiveness of knowledge.

p. 77 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/arthur-c-clarke/firstborn/slickness-of-presentation.md)

Topics: [knowledge](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/knowledge.md), [appearances](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/appearances.md)

> When the pious fools come up against the godless pagans who own Judea, the result is what might be called diplomatic incidents.

p. 172 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/arthur-c-clarke/firstborn/when-the-pious.md)

Topics: [religion](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/religion.md)