Why hadn't they built a lot of little Ringworlds instead?

“Once Louis Wu had sworn to live forever.”

— Larry Niven

In challenging a kzin, a simple scream of rage is sufficient. You scream and you leap.

— Larry Niven

“There is no cause so good or noble that it will not attract fuggheads; and the fuggheads will get all the press.”

— Larry Niven

“Music had played suddenly through the cabin, complex and lovely, rich in minor tones, like the sad call of a sex-maddened computer. Nessus whistled.”

— Larry Niven

“This place is a playground for a questing mind.”

— Larry Niven

“have precious little free will," he was saying. "We're too intelligent not to see the right answers.”

— Larry Niven

“1a) Never throw shit at an armed man. 1b) Never stand next to someone who is throwing shit at an armed man.”

— Larry Niven

We learn only to ask more questions.

— Larry Niven

“Everything starts as somebody's dream.”

— Larry Niven

“I asked him, "Do you know the difference between nude and naked?" He shook his head. "Nude is artistic. Naked is defenseless.”

— Larry Niven

Intelligence is just a tool to be used toward a goal, and goals are not always chosen intelligently.

— Larry Niven

And every friend I've got has been writing Mars stories. It was pretty clear I'd never catch up.

— Larry Niven

For each human being there is an optimum ratio between change and stasis. Too little change, he grows bored. Too little stability, he panics…

— Larry Niven

Anything beats an expensive stack of paper.

— Larry Niven

“Humans," said the puppeteer, "should not be allowed to run loose. You will surely harm yourselves.”

— Larry Niven