---
title: "2 Narrator Quotes By Neal Stephenson"
description: "2 Narrator quotes by Neal Stephenson. Plus more from Neal Stephenson and more Narrator sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b49/neal-stephenson-362_book_early-on-i-settled-on-the-first-person-s_950355.png"
---

> [Early on, I settled on the first-person strategy as a way to deal with exposition and world-description issues. As long as the book is, it could have been far longer had I gone with an omniscient third-person narrator, or multiple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/early-on-i-settled-on-the-first-person-strategy-as-a-way-to-deal-with/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b49/neal-stephenson-362_book_early-on-i-settled-on-the-first-person-s_950355.png)

> [We see everything from the narrator's point of view, so exposition about the world is limited to what impinges directly on him and the story he's telling. Considering how old the world is, we learn very little about its history,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/we-see-everything-from-the-narrator-s-point-of-view-so-exposition/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa9/neal-stephenson-362_considering_we-see-everything-from-the-narrator-s-po_2414154.png)

## More by Neal Stephenson

> [“I study dead languages for a living,” I said. “That’s why you hired me. Why should I be up to speed on your line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/i-study-dead-languages-for-a-living-i-said-that-s-why-you-hired-me/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“Other people - store clerks, burger flippers, software engineers, the whole vocabulary of meaningless jobs that make up Life in America - other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/other-people-store-clerks-burger-flippers-software-engineers-the/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“It is what you don’t expect,” he’d said, “that most needs looking for.” “Do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/it-is-what-you-don-t-expect-he-d-said-that-most-needs-looking-for-do/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“...the insects here see you as a big slab of animated but not very well defended food. The ability to move, far from being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-insects-here-see-you-as-a-big-slab-of-animated-but-not-very-well/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“There was no way that these guys were going to let a bleeding, barefoot woman simply wander off alone into the streets. Two of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/there-was-no-way-that-these-guys-were-going-to-let-a-bleeding/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“Space and Time! Two minor omissions that no one is likely to notice," grumbled Newton.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/space-and-time-two-minor-omissions-that-no-one-is-likely-to-notice/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [See, the world is full of things more powerful than us. But if you know how to catch a ride, you can go places,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/see-the-world-is-full-of-things-more-powerful-than-us-but-if-you-know/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“Hey,” Shaftoe says, “if we surrender to you, you’ll kill us. Right?” “Yes.” “If you guys surrender to us, we won’t kill you. Promise.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/hey-shaftoe-says-if-we-surrender-to-you-you-ll-kill-us-right-yes-if/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“My men think you are dead now, and won’t waste balls on you,” Jack said. “In fact I have let you live, but for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/my-men-think-you-are-dead-now-and-won-t-waste-balls-on-you-jack-said/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“You’ve probably heard the expression that the Industry feeds off of biomass, like a whale straining krill from the ocean.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/you-ve-probably-heard-the-expression-that-the-industry-feeds-off-of/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed subcategory. He’s got esprit up to here. Right now, he is preparing to carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-deliverator-belongs-to-an-elite-order-a-hallowed-subcategory-he-s/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/interesting-things-happen-along-borders-transitions-not-in-the-middle/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“and people could only make sense of complicated matters through stories. Likewise”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/and-people-could-only-make-sense-of-complicated-matters-through/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“Van Eck phreaking,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/van-eck-phreaking/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“When the Deliverator puts the hammer down, shit happens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/when-the-deliverator-puts-the-hammer-down-shit-happens/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

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