# Quote — Larry Niven, Protector

> The stars are far from eternal, but for man they might as well be.

- Author: [Larry Niven](https://www.leafyquotes.com/larry-niven.md)
- Book: [Protector](https://www.leafyquotes.com/larry-niven/protector.md)
- Page: 7
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Larry_Niven#Protector_(1973)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Topics: [time](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/time.md)
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/larry-niven/protector/the-stars-are

## More from this book

> And the air was full of the smell of burning bridges.

p. 166 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/larry-niven/protector/and-the-air.md)

> “For letting us examine their silly records they want to charge us a flat million marks!”
>
> “Pay it.”
>
> “It’s robbery.”
>
> “A Belter says that? Why don’t you have records on Mars?”
>
> “We were never interested. What for?”
>
> “What about abstract knowledge?”
>
> “Another word for useless.”
>
> “Then what makes you want useless knowledge enough to pay a million marks for it?”
>
> Slowly Nick matched his grin. “It’s still robbery. How in Finagle’s name did Earth know they’d need to know about Mars?”
>
> “That’s the secret of abstract knowledge. You get in the habit of finding out everything you can about everything. Most of it gets used sooner or later.”

p. 45 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/larry-niven/protector/for-letting-us-examine.md)

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

> “How did you come to represent the belt?”
>
> “Aptitude tests said I had a high IQ and liked ordering people around. From there I worked my way up.”
>
> “We go by the vote.”
>
> “Popularity contests.”
>
> “It works. But it does have drawbacks. What government doesn’t?”

p. 57 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/larry-niven/protector/how-did-you.md)

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