{
  "type": "book",
  "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.",
  "title": "Starfire",
  "slug": "starfire",
  "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire",
  "json": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire.json",
  "markdown": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire.md",
  "author": {
    "name": "Charles Sheffield",
    "slug": "charles-sheffield",
    "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield"
  },
  "cover": "https://quivercdn.com/covers/gateway/charles-sheffield/starfire_978-05-7508-507-7.jpg",
  "quotes_count": 13,
  "quotes": [
    {
      "id": "e9286e5b-b836-40b7-af00-7dd29f194f04",
      "slug": "dyou-know-what",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire/dyou-know-what",
      "text": "“D’you know what homeostasis is?”\n\n“I used to, before I rotted my brain with politics.”",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 390,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "humor",
          "slug": "humor",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/humor"
        },
        {
          "name": "politics",
          "slug": "politics",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/politics"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Starfire_(1999)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:36"
    },
    {
      "id": "9226c7b1-eb64-4e29-8f7b-3b41153ae615",
      "slug": "id-make-a-case",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire/id-make-a-case",
      "text": "I’d make a case for saying anything that propagates itself in an intentional way qualifies to be thought of as alive.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 485,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "life",
          "slug": "life",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/life"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Starfire_(1999)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:36"
    },
    {
      "id": "7beb8395-b543-40ab-8faf-c6ff9308a6d7",
      "slug": "it-is-not",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire/it-is-not",
      "text": "It is not clear to me whether the insouciance of youth will be the doom of humanity or its salvation. I prefer to think the latter, but I have my doubts.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 446,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "human nature",
          "slug": "human-nature",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/human-nature"
        },
        {
          "name": "youth",
          "slug": "youth",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/youth"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Starfire_(1999)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:36"
    },
    {
      "id": "2811d2f3-f919-4708-afe9-8b3291ed644d",
      "slug": "the-limits-we-assign",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire/the-limits-we-assign",
      "text": "The limits we assign to Nature sometimes define our own lack of imagination.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 388,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "nature",
          "slug": "nature",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/nature"
        },
        {
          "name": "imagination",
          "slug": "imagination",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/imagination"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Starfire_(1999)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:36"
    },
    {
      "id": "edddfb89-91ba-4e7b-9231-f0dd1b5cf154",
      "slug": "engineers-are-dangerous",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire/engineers-are-dangerous",
      "text": "Engineers are dangerous because they’re obsessed by facts and you can’t divert them or buy them off.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 116,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "humor",
          "slug": "humor",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/humor"
        },
        {
          "name": "truth",
          "slug": "truth",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/truth"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Starfire_(1999)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:35"
    },
    {
      "id": "c9ea5849-365d-48d3-bc09-9a533ce47a78",
      "slug": "if-you-tried",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire/if-you-tried",
      "text": "If you tried really hard, you could take that as a compliment.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 82,
      "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#Starfire_(1999)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:35"
    },
    {
      "id": "9af16980-8a92-4f5f-939c-5b7a8d0e27fa",
      "slug": "other-peoples-jobs",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire/other-peoples-jobs",
      "text": "Other people’s jobs always seemed easier than yours until you actually had to do them.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 146,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "work",
          "slug": "work",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/work"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Starfire_(1999)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:35"
    },
    {
      "id": "8dd6bf8c-295f-4a64-a84d-e02dcec21e81",
      "slug": "an-old-axiom",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire/an-old-axiom",
      "text": "An old axiom: when you are totally confused, don’t make things worse by talking.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 45,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "silence",
          "slug": "silence",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/silence"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Starfire_(1999)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:35"
    },
    {
      "id": "8a44bf1b-d383-4d13-9b18-106fe2cbf4de",
      "slug": "the-bad-thing",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire/the-bad-thing",
      "text": "The bad thing about being a world-class worrier was that being right was worse than being wrong.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 77,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "anxiety",
          "slug": "anxiety",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/anxiety"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Starfire_(1999)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:35"
    },
    {
      "id": "466b2220-7140-4a76-a545-673b45a9d1ae",
      "slug": "humans-were-inexplicable",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire/humans-were-inexplicable",
      "text": "Humans were inexplicable only if you assumed that they were logical.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 70,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "human nature",
          "slug": "human-nature",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/human-nature"
        },
        {
          "name": "logic",
          "slug": "logic",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/logic"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Starfire_(1999)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:35"
    },
    {
      "id": "46642292-157e-4266-b481-deb601785f57",
      "slug": "when-you-have",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire/when-you-have",
      "text": "When you have died once, you become most reluctant to do so again.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 1,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "humor",
          "slug": "humor",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/humor"
        },
        {
          "name": "death",
          "slug": "death",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/death"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Starfire_(1999)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:35"
    },
    {
      "id": "300f380f-b231-472c-af86-12173cf35c55",
      "slug": "the-game-never",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire/the-game-never",
      "text": "The game never ended. If Sol were guaranteed to go nova tomorrow, today she would hear from lobbyists for sunscreen.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 11,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "humor",
          "slug": "humor",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/humor"
        },
        {
          "name": "politics",
          "slug": "politics",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/politics"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Starfire_(1999)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:35"
    },
    {
      "id": "259d2f6e-8b71-4e0f-a58c-6fdfd004a1c4",
      "slug": "tig-trust-in-government",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/charles-sheffield/starfire/tig-trust-in-government",
      "text": "TIG. Trust In Government. An old political principle, to give your organization a name that’s the opposite of what you mean.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 14,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "politics",
          "slug": "politics",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/politics"
        },
        {
          "name": "irony",
          "slug": "irony",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/irony"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Sheffield#Starfire_(1999)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:02:35"
    }
  ]
}
