To Be Taught, If Fortunate

by Becky Chambers

Earth. I’m an observer, not a conqueror. I have no interest in changing other worlds to suit me. I choose the lighter touch: changing myself to suit them.

At some point, you have to accept the fact that any movement creates waves, and the only other option is to lie still and learn nothing.

a home can only exist in a moment. Something both found and made. Always temporary, in the grand scheme of things, but vital all the same.

We have found nothing you can sell. We have found nothing you can put to practical use. We have found no worlds that could be easily or ethically settled, were that end desired. We have satisfied nothing but curiosity, gained nothing but knowledge.