# Quote — Ted Chiang, Stories of Your Life and Others

> The universe was a language with a perfectly ambiguous grammar. Every physical event was an utterance that could be parsed in two entirely different ways, one causal and the other teleological.

- Author: [Ted Chiang](https://www.leafyquotes.com/ted-chiang.md)
- Book: [Stories of Your Life and Others](https://www.leafyquotes.com/ted-chiang/stories-of-your-life-and-others.md)
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ted_Chiang#Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others_(2002)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/ted-chiang/stories-of-your-life-and-others/the-universe-was

## More from this book

> Technology is being used to manipulate us through our emotional reactions, so it’s only fair that we use it to protect ourselves too.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/ted-chiang/stories-of-your-life-and-others/technology-is-being.md)

> God is not just, God is not kind, God is not merciful, and understanding that is essential to true devotion.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/ted-chiang/stories-of-your-life-and-others/god-is-not.md)

> We’ve reached a point where we can begin to adjust our minds. The question is, when is it appropriate for us to do so? We shouldn’t automatically accept that natural is better, nor should we automatically presume that we can improve on nature. It’s up to us to decide which qualities we value, and what’s the best way to achieve those.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/ted-chiang/stories-of-your-life-and-others/weve-reached-a-point.md)