The Three-Body Problem

by

Liu Cixin

As one of the many listeners on Trisolaris, Listener 1379 lives an isolating, monotonous life—until he receives Ye Wenjie’s communication from Earth. Unlike most Trisolarans, this listener does not feel that mere survival is a satisfying purpose in life; instead, he dreams of art, culture, and community. Because of these aspirations, and because he sees a chance to “make his own humble life glow,” the listener replies to Ye Wenjie’s message, urging her not to reply and thus to keep Earth’s location secret from the Trisolarans. Eventually, the listener’s brave actions inspire a larger movement of pacifism across Trisolaris. The listener embodies the novel’s exploration of the role individual actions (and legacies) play in history as a whole.

Listener 1379 Quotes in The Three-Body Problem

The The Three-Body Problem quotes below are all either spoken by Listener 1379 or refer to Listener 1379 . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Technology, Progress, and Destruction Theme Icon
).
Chapter 32 Quotes

The metallic Trisolaran spirit has infiltrated each of our cells and solidified. You really believe it can melt again? I'm an ordinary man living at the bottom of society. No one would pay any attention to me. My life is spent alone, without wealth, without status, without love, and without hope. If I can save a distant, beautiful world that I have fallen in love with, then my life has not been wasted.

Related Characters: Listener 1379 (speaker), The Princeps of Trisolaris
Page Number: 354
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Three-Body Problem LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Three-Body Problem PDF

Listener 1379 Quotes in The Three-Body Problem

The The Three-Body Problem quotes below are all either spoken by Listener 1379 or refer to Listener 1379 . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Technology, Progress, and Destruction Theme Icon
).
Chapter 32 Quotes

The metallic Trisolaran spirit has infiltrated each of our cells and solidified. You really believe it can melt again? I'm an ordinary man living at the bottom of society. No one would pay any attention to me. My life is spent alone, without wealth, without status, without love, and without hope. If I can save a distant, beautiful world that I have fallen in love with, then my life has not been wasted.

Related Characters: Listener 1379 (speaker), The Princeps of Trisolaris
Page Number: 354
Explanation and Analysis: