{
  "type": "quote",
  "site": {
    "name": "Leafy Quotes",
    "language": "en",
    "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com"
  },
  "formats": "Every page has two versions with the same data: JSON (the page address + .json) and markdown (the page address + .md). Append .json or .md to any `url` in this document.",
  "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/divergence/human-culture-is-built",
  "json": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/divergence/human-culture-is-built.json",
  "markdown": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/divergence/human-culture-is-built.md",
  "id": "1dcd9477-cf0e-4074-9e94-7363b73281fd",
  "slug": "human-culture-is-built",
  "text": "Human culture is built around four basic elements: sexual relationships, territorial rights, individual intellectual dominance, and desire for group acceptance. The H’Sirin model using just these four traits as independent variables enables accurate prediction of human behavior patterns. On the basis of this, human culture is judged to be of Level Two, with few prospects for advancement to a higher level. —From the Universal Species Catalog (Subclass: Sapients)",
  "language": "en",
  "author": {
    "name": "Charles Sheffield",
    "slug": "charles-sheffield",
    "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield"
  },
  "book": {
    "title": "Divergence",
    "slug": "divergence",
    "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/divergence"
  },
  "character": null,
  "chapter": null,
  "chapter_parent": null,
  "page": 282,
  "verified": false,
  "original": null,
  "other_languages": [],
  "topics": [
    {
      "name": "human nature",
      "slug": "human-nature",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/human-nature"
    }
  ],
  "source": {
    "name": "Wikiquote",
    "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Divergence_(1991)",
    "license": {
      "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
      "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
    }
  },
  "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:33",
  "more_from_book": [
    {
      "id": "4d21065d-8a9c-4ebe-ae38-821601222a27",
      "slug": "dont-confuse-caution",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/divergence/dont-confuse-caution",
      "text": "Don’t confuse caution with cowardice.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 495,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "caution",
          "slug": "caution",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/caution"
        },
        {
          "name": "cowardice",
          "slug": "cowardice",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/cowardice"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Divergence_(1991)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:33"
    },
    {
      "id": "4d1afa35-07a6-428b-b11b-c2bf5254ba1d",
      "slug": "thats-why-we-want",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/divergence/thats-why-we-want",
      "text": "That’s why we want it. Impossible gadgets are always the most valuable.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 433,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "humor",
          "slug": "humor",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/humor"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Divergence_(1991)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:33"
    },
    {
      "id": "0e5fb49b-5ebd-4222-bba9-1847509cb857",
      "slug": "birdie-cringed-if-there",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/divergence/birdie-cringed-if-there",
      "text": "Birdie cringed. If there was one thing worse than being a coward, it was being mistaken for a hero.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 441,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "heroism",
          "slug": "heroism",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/heroism"
        },
        {
          "name": "cowardice",
          "slug": "cowardice",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/cowardice"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Divergence_(1991)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:33"
    }
  ]
}