“5) Psi and/or magical powers, if real, are nearly useless.”

—  Larry Niven

Niven's Laws

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Sept. 14, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "5) Psi and/or magical powers, if real, are nearly useless." by Larry Niven?
Larry Niven photo
Larry Niven 138
American writer 1938

Related quotes

Larry Niven photo

“A sonic stunner was a surer bet than a hypothetical, undependable psi power. It was real, cold and hard in his hand.”

Larry Niven (1938) American writer

Source: A Gift From Earth (1968), Ch. 12 : The Slowboat
Context: He was sick of having to be afraid. It was a situation to drive a man right out of his skull. If he stopped being afraid, even for an instant, he could be killed! But now, at least for the moment, he could stop listening for footsteps, stop trying to look in all directions at once. A sonic stunner was a surer bet than a hypothetical, undependable psi power. It was real, cold and hard in his hand.

Anaïs Nin photo

“The real wonders of life lie in the depths. Exploring the depths for truths is the real wonder which the child and the artist know: magic and power lie in truth.”

Anaïs Nin (1903–1977) writer of novels, short stories, and erotica

Source: The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 4: 1944-1947

Salman Rushdie photo

“He knew what he knew: that the real world was full of magic, so magical worlds could easily be real.”

Salman Rushdie Haroun and the Sea of Stories

Source: Haroun and the Sea of Stories

“White magic is supposedly utilized only for good or unselfish purposes, and black magic, we are told, is used only for selfish or "evil" reasons. Satanism draws no such dividing line. Magic is magic, be it used to help or hinder. The Satanist, being the magician, should have the ability to decide what is just, and then apply the powers of magic to attain his goals. Nature, in her ineffable wisdom, wastes nothing. Seemingly useless but parasitic or destructive persons should be used like clay pigeons: for target practice.”

Anton LaVey book The Satanic Bible

The Satanic Bible (1969)

Jo Walton photo

“Class is entirely intangible, and the way it affects things isn't subject to scientific analysis, and it's not supposed to be real but it's pervasive and powerful. See; just like magic.”

Jo Walton book Among Others

Source: Among Others

José Mourinho photo

“Look, I'm a coach, I'm not Harry Potter. He is magical, but in reality there is no magic. Magic is fiction and football is real. ”

José Mourinho (1963) Portuguese association football player and manager
Robert G. Ingersoll photo

“They are all equally powerful and equally useless.”

Robert G. Ingersoll (1833–1899) Union United States Army officer

Rome, or Reason? A Reply to Cardinal Manning. Part I. The North American Review (1888)
Context: I have no Protestant prejudices against Catholicism, and have no Catholic prejudices against Protestantism. I regard all religions either without prejudice or with the same prejudice. They were all, according to my belief, devised by men, and all have for a foundation ignorance of this world and fear of the next. All the Gods have been made by men. They are all equally powerful and equally useless.

Raymond Chandler photo

“The challenge is to write about real things magically.”

Raymond Chandler (1888–1959) Novelist, screenwriter

Source: Selected Letters

George Gordon Byron photo

“The power of thought,—the magic of the mind!”

George Gordon Byron (1788–1824) English poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement

Canto I, stanza 8.
The Corsair (1814)

Related topics