Here is the quote The Gravemind tells us something impossible to understand— that most of what has been gathered comes from before there were stars. We do not believe in such a time, but the Mind insists … The life-patterns and living wisdom of a hundred billion years. Bear, Greg (2013-03-19). Halo: Silentium (Forerunner) (p. 322). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition.