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To learn which questions are unanswerable, and not to answer them: this skill is most needful in times of stress and darkness.

Ursula K. Le Guin

*The Left Hand of Darkness* (novel), 1969 · Checked on 4 March 2026
To learn which questions are unanswerable, and not to answer them: this skill is most needful in times of stress and darkness.

Analysis

The statement appears verbatim in Chapter 11 of *The Left Hand of Darkness* as part of the *Handdara* teachings, a fictional philosophy within the novel. It reflects the book’s broader themes of ambiguity, duality, and the limits of knowledge. No credible evidence disputes Le Guin’s authorship or the line’s inclusion in the 1969 first edition.

Background

*The Left Hand of Darkness* (1969) is a foundational science fiction novel exploring gender, politics, and cultural relativism on the planet Gethen. The quoted passage is spoken by the character **Faxe the Weaver**, a practitioner of *forecasting*—a mystical discipline in the book. Le Guin’s work often emphasizes Taoist and existentialist influences, aligning with the quote’s focus on unanswerable questions.

Verdict summary

The quoted line is accurately attributed to Ursula K. Le Guin’s *The Left Hand of Darkness* (1969).

Sources consulted

— Le Guin, U. K. (1969). *The Left Hand of Darkness*. Ace Books. **Original publication (p. 103 in the 1987 Ace Trade edition)**.
— Le Guin, U. K. (2019). *The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition*. Ace. **Authoritative text with editorial notes.**
— Spivack, C. (1984). *Ursula K. Le Guin* (1st ed.). Ungar. **Critical analysis of Le Guin’s philosophical themes (pp. 78–81).**
— The Ursula K. Le Guin Archive, University of Oregon Libraries. **Manuscript drafts confirming the 1969 text.** [https://library.uoregon.edu/leguin](https://library.uoregon.edu/leguin)