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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.

Larry Niven#23

FearSecurityWeapons

About this quote

What does it mean?
A character prefers tangible weapons over unreliable psychic powers to alleviate fear of death.
In plain terms
Having a real weapon feels safer than hoping for unreliable psychic powers.
What can you take from it?
Reliable tools provide comfort over uncertain powers.

Where it applies

  • dangerous situations
  • decision under stress

Putting it to work

  • choose tangible solutions
  • evaluate reliability

Questions to consider

  • What tools give you security?

Another view

The context is specific to sci-fi combat.

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