Part 4, Chapter 7 (p. 151)
“

What you have to understand is that bureaucracy is an organism, and the prime goal of every organism is self-protection. Bureaucracy exists to protect itself.

— Emily St. John Mandel

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "What you have to understand is that bureaucracy is an organism, and the prime goal of every organism is self-protection. Bureaucracy exists to protect itself." in the context of "Part 4, Chapter 7 (p. 151)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Emily St. John Mandel" (Quotes, Sea of Tranquility (2022): All page numbers from the hardcover first edition, first printing, published by Alfred A. Knopf, ) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Emily St. John Mandel

About Emily St. John Mandel

Emily St. John Mandel (born 1979) is a Canadian novelist.