--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But the deeper root cause could only be…" description: "\"“But the deeper root cause could only be found in the minds of humankind. Never explicitly stated, and perhaps not even consciously understood, a gravi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/liu-cixin-4142_psychology_but-the-deeper-root-cause-could-only-be_1262103.jpg" --- # But the deeper root cause could only be found in the minds… ![“But the deeper root cause could only be found in the minds of humankind. Never explicitly stated, and perhaps not even consciously understood, a gravitational wave ship was too powerful—so powerful that it terrified its creator. If something—a droplet attack or something else—forced such ships to…” quote by Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/liu-cixin-4142_psychology_but-the-deeper-root-cause-could-only-be_1262103.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/liu-cixin-4142_psychology_but-the-deeper-root-cause-could-only-be_1262103.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/liu-cixin-4142_psychology_but-the-deeper-root-cause-could-only-be_1262103.jpg) > ““But the deeper root cause could only be found in the minds of humankind. Never explicitly stated, and perhaps not even consciously understood, a gravitational wave ship was too powerful—so powerful that it terrified its creator. If something—a droplet attack or something else—forced such ships to depart for deep space, and they could never return to the Solar System due to the presence of enemy threats, they would turn into copies of Blue Space and Bronze Age, or something even more horrific. Each gravitational wave ship, with its no-longer-human crew, would also possess the power to broadcast to the universe (though limited by the half-life of the vibrating string), thus controlling the fate of humanity. A frightful instability would be permanently scattered among the stars. At its root, this fear was a fear of dark forest deterrence itself. This was characteristic of ultimate deterrence: The deterrer and the deteree shared the same terror of deterrence”” [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A civilization’s ultimate deterrence creates mutual terror, leading to self‑destructive outcomes and loss of humanity. **In simple terms:** Deterrence breeds fear and destruction. Key Takeaway Recognize and mitigate fear‑driven deterrence. Themes deterrence fear civilization technology existential risk Mood anxious thoughtful serious Type philosophical speculative fictional When to use this quote - space exploration policy - AI safety - international relations - military strategy - environmental governance Key Concepts mutual assured destruction dark forest theory psychology of fear galactic politics Questions to Reflect On - How does fear shape strategic decisions? - Can mutual understanding replace deterrence? A Different Perspective Human nature can override rational deterrence, causing irrational escalation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forest Deterrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forest-deterrence-4015712/) [Frightful Instability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightful-instability-4015711/) [Gravitational Wave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravitational-wave-2425427/) [Horrific Gravitational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horrific-gravitational-4015710/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Root cause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/root-cause/) [Solar system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solar-system/) [Ultimate Deterrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate-deterrence-1565148/) ## Related quotes > [“This was characteristic of ultimate deterrence: The deterrer and the deteree shared the same terror of deterrence itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/this-was-characteristic-of-ultimate-deterrence-the-deterrer-and-the/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [The students on my course were fascinated by the idea that gravitational waves might exist. I didn't know much about them at all, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/the-students-on-my-course-were-fascinated-by-the-idea-that/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [I thought that there must be an easier way to explain how a gravitational wave interacts with matter: If one just looked at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/i-thought-that-there-must-be-an-easier-way-to-explain-how-a/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [A gravitational wave is a very slight stretching in one dimension. If there's a gravitational wave traveling towards you, you get a stretch in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/a-gravitational-wave-is-a-very-slight-stretching-in-one-dimension-if/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [I said, suppose you take a light - I was thinking of just light bulbs because, in those days, lasers were not yet really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/i-said-suppose-you-take-a-light-i-was-thinking-of-just-light-bulbs/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [Many of us on the project were thinking if we ever saw a gravitational wave, it'd be an itsy bitsy little tiny thing; we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/many-of-us-on-the-project-were-thinking-if-we-ever-saw-a/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [The obvious thing to me was, let's take freely floating masses in space and measure the time it takes light to travel between them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/the-obvious-thing-to-me-was-let-s-take-freely-floating-masses-in/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [For reasons probably related to the popular vision of Albert Einstein and, also, the threat posed by black holes in comic books and science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/for-reasons-probably-related-to-the-popular-vision-of-albert-einstein/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [We'll have four different gravitational wave windows open within the next 20 years, and each of them will see something different. We'll be probing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/we-ll-have-four-different-gravitational-wave-windows-open-within-the/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [“Silence is the root cause of many assumptions in relationships.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garima-soni-words-world/silence-is-the-root-cause-of-many-assumptions-in-relationships/) [Garima Soni - words world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garima-soni-words-world/) > [“Trusted Black Magic Specialist in Mississauga – Restore Peace and Harmony in Your Life" In today's fast-paced world, negative energies and unexplained problems can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psychic-ravi/trusted-black-magic-specialist-in-mississauga-restore-peace-and/) [Psychic Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/psychic-ravi/) > [“What causes recessions? Many economists talk about the need for a consumer economy, but we can't have a consumer economy if people can't afford…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-adams/what-causes-recessions-many-economists-talk-about-the-need-for-a/) [Martin Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-adams/) > [“The fundamental fact about all of us is that we’re alive for a while but will die before long. This fact is the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/the-fundamental-fact-about-all-of-us-is-that-we-re-alive-for-a-while/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [“You will do one of two things as soon as you’ve exhausted what you can determine mathematically in the case: (1) Refine your hypothesis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/you-will-do-one-of-two-things-as-soon-as-you-ve-exhausted-what-you/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“Low states are a like a poison to the psyche. Millions of people throughout the world take tranquillizers each day to combat depression, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belsebuub/low-states-are-a-like-a-poison-to-the-psyche-millions-of-people/) [Belsebuub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belsebuub/) ## More by Liu Cixin > [“This is Galileo,” said Aristotle. “He advocates understanding the world through observation and experiment. He is an unimaginative thinker, but his results demand our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/this-is-galileo-said-aristotle-he-advocates-understanding-the-world/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“She could no longer feel grief. She was now like a Geiger counter that had been subjected to too much radiation, no longer capable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/she-could-no-longer-feel-grief-she-was-now-like-a-geiger-counter-that/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“As he left the hospital, he wasn’t scared. The only emotion he felt was loneliness. His alienation had been building up, but had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/as-he-left-the-hospital-he-wasn-t-scared-the-only-emotion-he-felt-was/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“Yes. They spread out to cover the entire solar system. We’re trapped”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/yes-they-spread-out-to-cover-the-entire-solar-system-we-re-trapped/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [I am a conventional science fiction author. But that said, once your work is published, it no longer belongs to you. It belongs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/i-am-a-conventional-science-fiction-author-but-that-said-once-your/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“None of these is in line with your original ideal of using the alien civilization as a way to reform humanity. YE: I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/none-of-these-is-in-line-with-your-original-ideal-of-using-the-alien/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“This was characteristic of ultimate deterrence: The deterrer and the deteree shared the same terror of deterrence itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/this-was-characteristic-of-ultimate-deterrence-the-deterrer-and-the/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction was a horrible event. Dinosaurs and many other animals and plants were killed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/the-cretaceous-paleogene-extinction-was-a-horrible-event-dinosaurs/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“Suppose two thousand years ago, or even earlier, humanity learned that an alien invasion fleet would arrive a few thousand years later. What would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/suppose-two-thousand-years-ago-or-even-earlier-humanity-learned-that/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“Make time for life, or life won’t make time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/make-time-for-life-or-life-won-t-make-time/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [The earth's crust is very thin but the planet can act as a spaceship if a force or energy powerful enough was exerted on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/the-earth-s-crust-is-very-thin-but-the-planet-can-act-as-a-spaceship/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“Indeed, it is the nature of intelligent life to climb mountains. They all want to stand on ever higher ground to gaze ever farther…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/indeed-it-is-the-nature-of-intelligent-life-to-climb-mountains-they/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“I’ve always felt that the greatest and most beautiful stories in the history of humanity were not sung by wandering bards or written by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/i-ve-always-felt-that-the-greatest-and-most-beautiful-stories-in-the/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“Are you under the impression that the object of everyone else’s love actually exists?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/are-you-under-the-impression-that-the-object-of-everyone-else-s-love/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [My own family went through its own difficulties in the Cultural Revolution, perhaps in a milder form than many other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/my-own-family-went-through-its-own-difficulties-in-the-cultural/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) [Explore all 106 Liu Cixin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) ## More Psychology quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Once ye made up yer mind to do somethin', 'tis better t'stumble o'er the small hillock of jump-ahead than t'bash yer head on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/once-ye-made-up-yer-mind-to-do-somethin-tis-better-t-stumble-o-er-the/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [Do you think that God would separate me from my husband if I killed myself? I feel as though I am going out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-think-that-god-would-separate-me-from-my-husband-if-i-killed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [This is a proof of a well-trained mind, to rejoice in what is good and to grieve at the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/this-is-a-proof-of-a-well-trained-mind-to-rejoice-in-what-is-good-and/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) > [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/) [Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/) > [Music is a job, but I figured out ways to get my mind into a place where I could be creative. I actually discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flume/music-is-a-job-but-i-figured-out-ways-to-get-my-mind-into-a-place/) [Flume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flume/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [No!! Get out of my Head!...You may have invaded my mind and my body...But there's one thing a Saiyan always keeps...his PRIDE!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragon-ball-z/no-get-out-of-my-head-you-may-have-invaded-my-mind-and-my-body-but/) [Dragon Ball Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragon-ball-z/) [Browse all 56,059 Psychology quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But the deeper root cause could only be found in the minds of humankind. Never explicitly stated, and perhaps not even consciously understood, a gravitational wave ship was too powerful—so powerful that it terrified its creator. If something—a droplet attack or something else—forced such ships to depart for deep space, and they could never return to the Solar System due to the presence of enemy threats, they would turn into copies of Blue Space and Bronze Age, or something even more horrific. Each gravitational wave ship, with its no-longer-human crew, would also possess the power to broadcast to the universe (though limited by the half-life of the vibrating string), thus controlling the fate of humanity. A frightful instability would be permanently scattered among the stars. At its root, this fear was a fear of dark forest deterrence itself. This was characteristic of ultimate deterrence: The deterrer and the deteree shared the same terror of deterrence”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Liu Cixin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/but-the-deeper-root-cause-could-only-be-found-in-the-minds-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Psychology" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/but-the-deeper-root-cause-could-only-be-found-in-the-minds-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/liu-cixin-4142_psychology_but-the-deeper-root-cause-could-only-be_1262103.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/liu-cixin-4142_psychology_but-the-deeper-root-cause-could-only-be_1262103.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/liu-cixin-4142_psychology_but-the-deeper-root-cause-could-only-be_1262103.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But the deeper root cause could only be found in the minds of humankind. Never explicitly stated, and…” — Liu Cixin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Liu Cixin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But the deeper root cause could...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/but-the-deeper-root-cause-could-only-be-found-in-the-minds-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/but-the-deeper-root-cause-could-only-be-found-in-the-minds-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```