Discover a wealth of wisdom and insight from Robert A. Heinlein through their most impactful and thought-provoking quotes and sayings. Expand your perspective with their inspiring words and share these beautiful Robert A. Heinlein quote pictures with your friends and followers on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or your personal blog - all free of charge. We've compiled the top 1058 Robert A. Heinlein quotes for you to explore and share with others.

A community where everyone is a ruthless murderer, with handy access to death-dealing devices, is a very polite community. By Robert A. Heinlein Community Murderer Devices Ruthless Handy

Many older physicians had gone to their graves calling Pasteur a liar, a fool, or worseand without examining evidence which their "common sense" told them was impossible. By Robert A. Heinlein Pasteur Liar Fool Common Sense

The capacity of a human mind to believe devoutly in what seems to me to be the highly improbable - from table tapping to the superiority of their own children - has never been plumbed. Faith strikes me as intellectual laziness, but I don't argue with it especially as I am rarely in a position to prove that it is mistaken. Negative proof is usually impossible. By Robert A. Heinlein Improbable Children Plumbed Capacity Human

Beware of altruism. It is based on self-deception, the root of all evil. By Robert A. Heinlein Beware Altruism Selfdeception Evil Based

I don't trust a man who talks about ethics when he is picking my pocket. But if he is acting in his own self-interest and says so, I have usually been able to work out some way to do business with him. By Robert A. Heinlein Pocket Trust Man Talks Ethics

I think the major problem in growing up is to become sophisticated without becoming cynical. By Robert A. Heinlein Cynical Major Problem Growing Sophisticated

There are hidden contradictions in the minds of people who "love Nature" while deploring the "artificialities" with which "Man has spoiled Nature.'" The obvious contradiction lies in their choice of words, which imply that Man and his artifacts are not part of "Nature" : but beavers and their dams are. By Robert A. Heinlein Nature Man Artificialities Nature Love

The second point I want to make is that you are right; the boy does indeed have to learn human customs. He must be taught to take off his shoes in a mosque and to wear his hat in a synagogue and to cover his nakedness when taboo requires it, or our tribal shamans will burn him for deviationism. But, child, by the myriad deceptive aspects of Ahriman, don't brainwash him in the process. Make sure he is cynical about each part of it. By Robert A. Heinlein Customs Point Boy Learn Human

Because the pursuit of science, despite its social benefits, is itself not a social virtue; its practitioners can be men so self-centered as to be lacking in social responsibility. By Robert A. Heinlein Social Science Benefits Virtue Responsibility

And you, Edward? Is there something in this world for which you'd surrender your life and your soul, if need be? You need not answer - I saw in your face and in your heart, last night, as you bent over the bed. Good art, good art - both of you. I have found several sorts of good and original art in this world, enough to justify encouraging your Artist to try again. But there was so much that was bad, poorly drawn and amateurish, that I could not find it in me to approve the work as a whole until I encountered and savored this, the tragedy of human love." Cynthia looked at him wildly. "Tragedy? you say 'tragedy'?" He looked at her with eyes that were not pitying, but serenely appreciative. "What else could it be, my dear? By Robert A. Heinlein Edward Good Art Tragedy World

We have such a theory now; we can solve any moral problem, on any level. Self-interest, love of family, duty to country, responsibility toward the human race - we are even developing an exact ethic for extra-human relations. But all moral problems can be illustrated by one misquotation: 'Greater love hath no man than a mother cat dying to defend her kittens.' Once you understand the problem facing that cat and how she solved it, you will then be ready to examine yourself and learn how high up the moral ladder you are capable of climbing. By Robert A. Heinlein Level Moral Theory Solve Selfinterest

I hate to tell you this, but you are just stupid and eager and sincere enough to make the kind of officer that men love to follow into some silly predicament. By Robert A. Heinlein Predicament Hate Stupid Eager Sincere

Nobody ever wins a lawsuit but the lawyers. By Robert A. Heinlein Lawyers Wins Lawsuit

I also think there are prices too high to pay to save the United States. Conscription is one of them. Conscription is slavery, and I don't think that any people or nation has a right to save itself at the price of slavery for anyone, no matter what name it is called. We have had the draft for twenty years now; I think this is shameful. If a country can't save itself through the volunteer service of its own free people, then I say: Let the damned thing go down the drain! By Robert A. Heinlein States United Save Conscription High

He became convinced that ordinary commercial financing could be done for a service charge plus an insurance fee amounting to much less that the current rates of interest charged by banks, whose rates were based on supply and demand, treating money as a commodity rather than as a sovereign state's means of exchange. By Robert A. Heinlein Rates Banks Demand Treating Exchange

Most moral philosophers consciously or unconsciously assume the essential correctness of our cultural sexual code - family, monogamy, continence, the postulate of privacy, ... restriction of intercourse to the marriage bed, etcetera. Having stipulated our cultural code as a whole, they fiddle with details - even such piffle as solemnly discussing whether or not the female breast is an "obscene" sight! But mostly they debate how the human animal can be induced or forced to obey this code, blandly ignoring the high probability that the heartaches and tragedies they see all around them originate in the code itself rather than the failure to abide by the code. By Robert A. Heinlein Code Family Monogamy Continence Privacy

The country and culture commonly known as "America" had had a badly split personality all through its history. Its overt laws were almost always puritanical for a people whose covert behavior tended to be Rabelaisian; its major religions were all Apollonian in varying degreesits religious revivals were often hysterical in a fashion almost Dionysian. By Robert A. Heinlein America History Country Culture Commonly

He ate what was set before him By Robert A. Heinlein Ate Set

Of all the nonsense that twists the world, the concept of 'altruism' is the worst. People do what they want to do, every time. If it sometimes pains them to make a choice - if the choice turns out to look like a 'noble sacrifice' - you can be sure that it is in no wise nobler than the discomfort caused by greediness ... the unpleasant necessity of having to decide between two things both of which you would like to do when you can't do both. The ordinary bloke suffers that discomfort every day, every time he makes a choice between spending a buck on beer or tucking it away for his kids, between getting up when he's tired or spending the day in his warm bed and losing his job. No matter which he does he always chooses what seems to hurt least or pleasures most. The average chump spends his life harried by these small decisions. By Robert A. Heinlein Altruism Choice World Worst Nonsense

Now let me get something straight: you are not in my debt. You can't be. Impossible - because I never do anything I don't want to do. Nor does anyone, but in my case I am always aware of it. So please don't invent a debt that does not exist, or before you know it you will be trying to feel gratitude - and that is the treacherous first step downward to complete moral degradation. By Robert A. Heinlein Straight Debt Impossible Exist Gratitude

Work is not an end in itself; there must always be time enough for love. By Robert A. Heinlein Work Love End Time

The Stone trembled and threw herself outward bound, toward Saturn. In her train followed hundreds and thousands and hundreds of thousands of thousands of restless, rolling Stones ... to Saturn ... to Uranus, to Pluto ... rolling on out to the stars ... outward bound to the ends of the Universe. By Robert A. Heinlein Saturn Thousands Stone Stones Trembled

it's well to take a look at what new rascals you are going to get before you jump at any chance to turn your present rascals out. Democracy is a poor system of government at best; the only thing that can honestly be said in its favor is that it is about eight times as good as any other method the human race has ever tried. Democracy's worst fault is that its leaders are likely to reflect the faults and virtues of their constituents - a depressingly low level, but what else can you expect? By Robert A. Heinlein Rascals Democracy Jump Chance Turn

Gentlemen, let's go row! By Robert A. Heinlein Gentlemen Row

Why do some people act as if making money offended their delicate minds? I am out for a legitimate profit, and not ashamed of it; the fact that people will pay money for my goods and services shows that my work is useful. By Robert A. Heinlein Minds People Money Act Making

Science fiction" means different things to different people. "When I make a word do a lot of work like that," said Humpty Dumpty, "I always pay it extra" - in which case the term science fiction has piled up a lot of expensive overtime. By Robert A. Heinlein People Science Fiction Lot Things

Must be a yearning deep in human heart to stop other people from doing as they please. Rules, laws - always for other fellow. A murky part of us, something we had before we came down out of trees, and failed to shuck when we stood up. By Robert A. Heinlein Yearning Deep Human Heart Stop

I counted to ten slowly, using binary notation. By Robert A. Heinlein Slowly Notation Counted Ten Binary

I was there to see beautiful naked women. So was everybody else. It's a common failing. By Robert A. Heinlein Women Beautiful Naked Failing Common

It doesn't make sense. Or, rather, it makes just one kind of sense. Hanky-panky. Ben is as used to hanky-panky as a bride is to kisses. He didn't get to be one of the best winchells in the business through playing his cards face up. By Robert A. Heinlein Sense Hankypanky Make Makes Kind

Then I glanced at the ring on my finger.The Snake That Eats Its Own Tail, Forever and Ever. I know where I came from - but where did all you zombies come from?I felt a headache coming on, but a headache powder is one thing I do not take. I did once - and you all went away.So I crawled into bed and whistled out the light.You aren't really there at all. There isn't anybody but me - Jane - here alone in the dark.I miss you dreadfully! By Robert A. Heinlein Tail Forever Snake Eats Glanced

The coldest depth of Hell is reserved for people who abandon kittens. By Robert A. Heinlein Hell Kittens Coldest Depth Reserved

The most ridiculous concept ever perpetrated by Homo Sapiens is that the Lord God of Creation, Shaper and Ruler of the Universes, wants the saccharine adoration of his creations, that he can be persuaded by their prayers, and becomes petulant if he does not receive this flattery. Yet this ridiculous notion, without one real shred of evidence to bolster it, has gone on to found one of the oldest, largest and least productive industries in history. By Robert A. Heinlein Shaper Universes Creation Creations Homo

The most preposterous notion that Homo sapiens has ever dreamed up is that the Lord God of Creation, Shaper and Ruler of all the Universes, wants the saccharine adoration of His creatures, can be swayed by their prayers, and becomes petulant if He does not receive this flattery. Yet this absurd fantasy, without a shred of evidence to bolster it, pays all the expenses of the oldest, largest, and least productive industry in all history. By Robert A. Heinlein Creation Shaper Universes Homo Lord

The Truth is simple but the Way of Man is hard. First you must learn to control your self. The rest follows. Blessed is he who knows himself and commands himself, for the world is his and love and happiness and peace walk with him wherever he goes. Thou art God. Know that and the Way is opened. I love you. Thou art God. -Valentine Michael Smith By Robert A. Heinlein Truth Man God Hard Simple

To support his austerely upholstered nest and its rabble staff he put forth minimum effort for maximum return simply because it was easier to be rich than to be poor - Harshaw merely wished to live exactly as he liked, doing whatever he thought was best for him. By Robert A. Heinlein Harshaw Poor Support Austerely Upholstered

The Ten Commandments are for lame brains. The first five are solely for the benefit of the priests and the powers that be; the second five are half truths, neither complete nor adequate. By Robert A. Heinlein Ten Commandments Brains Lame Truths

A whore should be judged by the same criteria as other professionals offering services for pay - such as dentists, lawyers, hairdressers, physicians, plumbers, etc. Is she professionally competent? Does she give good measure? Is she honest with her clients?It is possible that the percentage of honest and competent whores is higher than that of plumbers and much higher than that of lawyers. And enormously higher than that of professors. By Robert A. Heinlein Hairdressers Physicians Pay Dentists Higher

History does not record anywhere or at any time a religion that has any rational basis. By Robert A. Heinlein History Basis Record Time Religion

Yes, Boss?'Dorcas, the last twenty or thirty years I've been a worthless, no-good parasite.'She yawned again. 'Everybody knows that.'Nevermind the flattery. There comes a time in every man's life when he has to stop being sensiblea time to stand up and be countedstrike a blow for libertysmite the wicked.'Ummm ... 'So quit yawning, the time has come.'She glanced down. 'Maybe I had better get dressed. By Robert A. Heinlein Boss Dorcas Worthless Nogood Parasite

It's not enough to be able to lie with a straight face; anybody with enough gall to raise on a busted flush can do that. The first way to lie artistically is to tell the truth - but not all of it. The second way involves telling the truth, too, but is harder: Tell the exact truth and maybe all of it ... but tell it so unconvincingly that your listener is sure you are lying. By Robert A. Heinlein Lie Face Truth Straight Gall

Harshaw held that certain feet were made for stepping on, in order to improve the breed, promote the general welfare, and minimize the ancient insolence of office; he had seen at once that Heinrich had such feet. By Robert A. Heinlein Heinrich Feet Harshaw Breed Promote

Is a virus self-aware? Nyet. How about oyster? I doubt it. A cat? Almost certainly. A human? Don't know about you, tovarishch, but I am. By Robert A. Heinlein Selfaware Virus Nyet Tovarishch Oyster

All those religionsthey contradict each other on every point but every one of them is filled with ways to help people to be brave enough to laugh even though they know they are dying. By Robert A. Heinlein Dying Religionsthey Contradict Point Filled

Friends," he began, "fellow citizens of the Federation, I have tonight a unique honor and privilege. Since the triumphant return of our trail-blazing ship Champion - " He continued in a few thousand well-chosen words to congratulate the citizens of Earth on their successful contact with another planet, another civilized race. He managed to imply that the exploit of the Champion was the personal accomplishment of every citizen of the Federation, that any one of them could have led the expedition had he not been busy with other serious work - and that he, Secretary Douglas, had been chosen by them as their humble instrument to work their will. The flattering notions were never stated baldly, but implied; the underlying assumption being that the common man was the equal of anyone and better than most - and that good old Joe Douglas embodied the common man. Even his mussed cravat and cowlicked hair had a "just folks" quality. By Robert A. Heinlein Federation Champion Citizens Friends Douglas

The slickest way in the world to lie is to tell the right amount of truth at the right time-and then shut up. By Robert A. Heinlein Slickest World Lie Amount Truth

Want to back out?" Jill let out a long breath. "No. I've always wanted a life of crime. Will you teach me gangster lingo? I want to be a credit to you. By Robert A. Heinlein Back Jill Breath Crime Long

In the eighty or ninety years I have given to this subject, trying to trace out the meanderings of their twisty little minds, the only thing that I have learned for certain about women is that when a gal is gonna, she's gonna. All a man can do is cooperate with the inevitable. By Robert A. Heinlein Gonna Subject Minds Eighty Ninety

Take big bites. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing. By Robert A. Heinlein Bites Big Worth Overdoing

If a thing's worth doing, it's worth overdoing. (Lazarus Long) By Robert A. Heinlein Overdoing Worth Lazarus Long Thing

I've been broke even oftener than I've been wealthy. Of the two, being broke is more interesting, as a man who doesn't know where his next meal is coming from is never bored. He may be angry or several other things - but not bored. His predicament sharpens his thoughts, spurs him into action, adds zest to his life, whether he knows it or not. By Robert A. Heinlein Wealthy Broke Bored Oftener Interesting

If I had had any sense, I'd have quit and taken a working job. The only trouble with that would be that I wouldn't have been working for the Old Man any longer. That made the difference. Not that he was a soft boss. He was quite capable of saying, "Boys, we need to fertilize this oak tree. Just jump in that hole at its base and I'll cover you up." We'd have done it. Any of us would. And the Old Man would bury us alive, too, if he thought that there was as much as a 53 percent probability that it was the Tree of Liberty he was nourishing. By Robert A. Heinlein Working Sense Job Man Quit

Africa and Europe responded more sensibly but differently. Life has never been sacred in Africa and those who went sight-seeing on targets got little bleeding-heart treatment. By Robert A. Heinlein Europe Africa Differently Responded Sensibly

The second best thing about space travel is that the distances involved make war very difficult, usually impractical, and almost always unnecessary. This is probably a loss for most people, since war is our race's most popular diversion, one which gives purpose and color to dull and stupid lives. But it is a great boon to the intelligent man who fights only when he must-never for sport. By Robert A. Heinlein Difficult Impractical Unnecessary War Thing

If the universe has any purpose more important than topping a woman you love and making a baby with her hearty help, I've never heard of it. By Robert A. Heinlein Universe Purpose Important Topping Woman

Two bodies attract each other directly as the product of their masses and inversely as the square of their distance.' It sounds like a rule for simple physical facts, does it not? Yet it is nothing of the sort; it was the poetical way the old ones had of expressing the rule of propinquity which governs the emotion of love. The bodies referred to are human bodies, mass is their capacity for love. Young people have a greater capacity for love than the elderly; when thy are thrown together they fall in love, yet when they are separated they soon get over it. 'Out of sight, out of mind.' It's as simple as that. But you were seeking some deep meaning for it. By Robert A. Heinlein Love Bodies Distance Attract Directly

The faith in which I was brought up assured me that I was better than other people; I was saved, they were damned ... Our hymns were loaded with arrogance - self-congratulation on how cozy we were with the Almighty and what a high opinion he had of us, what hell everybody else would catch come Judgment Day. By Robert A. Heinlein People Saved Damned Faith Brought

Hurry was not a concept that could be symbolized in the Martian language and therefore must be presumed to be unthinkable. Speed, velocity, simultaneity, acceleration, and other mathematical abstractions having to do with the pattern of eternity were part of Martian mathematics, but not of Martian emotion. By Robert A. Heinlein Martian Hurry Unthinkable Concept Symbolized

But if you didn't have more urgent things to do after supper [in boot camp], you could write a letter, loaf, gossip, discuss the myriad mental shortcomings of sergeants and, dearest of all, talk about the female of the species (we became convinced that there was no such creatures, just mythology created by inflamed imaginations - one boy in our company claimed to have seen a girl, over at regimental headquarters; he was unanimously judged a liar and a braggart). By Robert A. Heinlein Loaf Gossip Supper Camp Letter

In the fifteenth century the Pope deeded the entire western hemisphere to Spain and Portugal and nobody paid the slightest attention to the fact that the real estate was already occupied by several million Indians with their own laws, customs, and notions of property rights. His grant deed was pretty effective, too. Take a look at a western hemisphere map sometime and notice where Spanish is spoken and where Portuguese is spoken - and see how much land the Indians have left. By Robert A. Heinlein Pope Spain Portugal Customs Indians

There is a misconception, geocentric and anthropomorphic, common to the large majority the the earthbound, which causes them to visualize a planetary system stereoscopically. The mind's eye sees a sun, remote from a backdrop of stars, and surrounded by spinning apples the planets. Step out on your balcony and look. Can you tell the planets from the stars? Venus you may pick out with ease, but could you tell it from Canopus, if you had not previously been introduced? That little red speck is it Mars, or is it Antares? Blast for Antares, believing it to be a planet, and you will never live to have grandchildren. By Robert A. Heinlein Misconception Geocentric Anthropomorphic Common Earthbound

Library Science is the key to all science, just as mathematics is its language - and civilization will rise or fall, depending on how well librarians do their jobs. By Robert A. Heinlein Science Library Language Fall Depending

Dad claims that library science is the foundation of all sciences just as math is the key and we will survive or founder, depending on how well the librarians do their jobs. Librarians didn't look glamorous to me but maybe Dad had hit on a not very obvious truth. By Robert A. Heinlein Dad Founder Depending Jobs Librarians

Unarmed hand-to-hand fighting does not change through the ages; only the name changes, and it has only one rule: do it first, do it fast, do it dirtiest. By Robert A. Heinlein Unarmed Fighting Ages Rule Fast

I have this one nasty habit. Makes me hard to live with. I write ... ... writing is antisocial. It's as solitary as masturbation. Disturb a writer when he is in the throes of creation and he is likely to turn and bite right to the bone ... and not even know that he's doing it. As writers' wives and husbands often learn to their horror ... ... there is no way that writers can be tamed and rendered civilized. Or even cured. In a household with more than one person, of which one is a writer, the only solution known to science is to provide the patient with an isolation room, where he can endure the acute stages in private, and where food can be poked in to him with a stick. Because, if you disturb the patient at such times, he may break into tears or become violent. Or he may not hear you at all ... and, if you shake him at this stage, he bites ... By Robert A. Heinlein Habit Nasty Writer Patient Disturb

Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear. Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together. Often the very young, the untravelled, the naive, the sophisticated deplore these formalities as 'empty,' 'meaningless,' or 'dishonest,' and scorn to use them. No matter how 'pure' their motives, they thereby throw sand into machinery that does not work too well at best. By Robert A. Heinlein Moving Wear Lubrication Parts Rubbing

Yes, sir, there are things to see and do on the French Riviera without spending money. By Robert A. Heinlein Sir French Riviera Money Things

They were all three amazingly beautiful; they were also amazingly good secretaries. In Harshaw's opinion the principle of least action required that utility and beauty be combined. By Robert A. Heinlein Beautiful Secretaries Amazingly Good Harshaw

Support for the arts merde! A government-supported artist is an incompetent whore! By Robert A. Heinlein Support Merde Arts Whore Governmentsupported

You obviously don't know what an Old Man of the Sea great wealth is. It is not a fat purse and time to spend it. Its owner finds himself beset on every side, at every hour, wherever he goes, by persistent pleaders, like beggars in Bombay, each demanding that he invest or give away part of his wealth. He becomes suspicious of honest friendshipindeed honest friendship is rarely offered him; those who could have been his friends are too fastidious to be jostled by beggars, too proud to risk being mistaken for one. By Robert A. Heinlein Man Sea Great Wealth Bombay

If tempted by something that feels "altruistic," examine your motives and root out that self-deception. Then, if you still want to do it, wallow in it! By Robert A. Heinlein Altruistic Feels Examine Selfdeception Tempted

Never trust machinery more complicated than a knife and fork. By Robert A. Heinlein Fork Trust Machinery Complicated Knife

As for the second notion, the idea that we could lose our freedom by succumbing to a wave of religious hysteria, I am sorry to say that I consider it possible. I hope that it is not probable. But there is a latent deep strain of religious fanaticism in this our culture; it is rooted in our history By Robert A. Heinlein Notion Hysteria Religious Idea Lose

For millennia philosophers and saints have tried to reason out a logical scheme for the universe ... until Hilda came along and demonstrated that the universe is not logical but whimsical, its structure depending solely on the dreams and nightmares of non-logical dreamers. By Robert A. Heinlein Universe Logical Millennia Philosophers Saints

If God existed (a question concerning which Jubal maintained a meticulous intellectual neutrality) and if He desired to be worshiped (a proposition which Jubal found inherently improbable but conceivably possible in the dim light of his own ignorance), then (stipulating affirmatively both the above) it nevertheless seemed wildly unlikely to Jubal to the point of reductio ad absurdum that a God potent to shape galaxies would be titillated and swayed by the whoop-te-do nonsense the Fosterites offered Him as worship. By Robert A. Heinlein Jubal God Fosterites Existed Neutrality

If I had a Boy Scout I could make a fire by rubbing his hind legs together. By Robert A. Heinlein Boy Scout Make Fire Rubbing

If Satan should ever replace God he would find it necessary to assume the attributes of Divinity. By Robert A. Heinlein Divinity Satan God Replace Find

Mike did not seem to grasp the idea of Creation itself. Well, Jubal wasn't sure that he did, eitherhe had long ago made a pact with himself to postulate a Created Universe on even-numbered days, a tail-swallowing eternal-and-uncreated Universe on odd-numbered dayssince each hypothesis, while equally paradoxical, neatly avoided the paradoxes of the otherwith, of course, a day off each year for sheer solipsist debauchery. By Robert A. Heinlein Creation Universe Mike Grasp Idea

People who are busy and happy don't write diaries; they are too busy living. By Robert A. Heinlein People Diaries Living Busy Happy

Butterflies are self propelled flowers. By Robert A. Heinlein Butterflies Flowers Propelled

Customs, morals--is there a difference? By Robert A. Heinlein Customs Morals Difference

Democracy is based on the assumption that a million men are wiser than one man. How's that again? I missed something. By Robert A. Heinlein Democracy Man Based Assumption Million

Jubal longed for the days when a lawyer could cite the Bill of Rights and not have some over-riding Federation trickery defeat him. By Robert A. Heinlein Bill Federation Jubal Longed Days

You evaded my question." "Then perhaps you had better assume that I intended to evade it. By Robert A. Heinlein Question Evaded Assume Intended Evade

Light-months - and it was now possible to infer by parainterferometric methods that the star (ZD9817, or simply "our" star) had planets of some sort. By Robert A. Heinlein Lightmonths Star Simply Sort Infer

Death is the lot of us all, and the only way that the human race has ever conquered death is by treating it with contempt. By living every golden minute as if one had all Eternity. By Robert A. Heinlein Death Contempt Lot Human Race

The extremely tiny fraction who think regularly, accurately, creatively, and without self-delusion - in the long run, these are the only people who count. By Robert A. Heinlein Accurately Creatively Regularly Selfdelusion Run

Anyone who says that sex is overrated just hasn't done it properly. By Robert A. Heinlein Properly Sex Overrated

Dr. Jubal Harshaw, professional clown, amateur subversive, and parasite by choice, had long attempted to eliminate "hurry" and all related emotions from his pattern. Being aware that he had but a short time left to live and having neither Martian nor Kansan faith in his own immortality, it was his purpose to live each golden moment as if it were eternity - without fear, without hope, but with sybaritic gusto. By Robert A. Heinlein Harshaw Hurry Jubal Professional Clown

I hope he's just a scoundrel . . . because a saint can stir up ten times as much mischief as a scoundrel. By Robert A. Heinlein Scoundrel Hope Saint Stir Ten

There is no such thing as a humane war. By Robert A. Heinlein War Thing Humane

He had more than his share of that streak of anarchy which was the birthright of every American. By Robert A. Heinlein American Share Streak Anarchy Birthright

Sir, talking with a Martian is like talking with an echo. You don't get argument but you don't get results. By Robert A. Heinlein Sir Martian Talking Echo Results

If men were the automatons that behaviorists claim they are, the behaviorist psychologists could not have invented the amazing nonsense called 'behaviorist psychology.' By Robert A. Heinlein Called Psychology Behaviorist Men Automatons

A hero must hero. By Robert A. Heinlein Hero

I told you that 'juvenile delinquent' is a contradiction in terms. 'Delinquent' means 'failing in duty.' But duty is an adult virtue - indeed a juvenile becomes an adult when, and only when, he acquires a knowledge of duty and embraces it as dearer than the self-love he was born with. There never was, there cannot be a 'juvenile delinquent.' But for every juvenile criminal there are always one or more adult delinquents - people of mature years who either do not know their duty, or who, knowing it, fail. By Robert A. Heinlein Delinquent Juvenile Duty Terms Adult

Once in a great while lips meet and two spirits merge for a time and the universe is right and complete and the planets wheel in their proper places. Once in a while the lonely, broken spirit of man is healed and made whole. For a while his quest is over and his questions are answered. By Robert A. Heinlein Places Great Lips Meet Merge

He did not expect reasonable conduct from human beings; he considered most people fit candidates for protective restraint and wet packs. He simply wished heartily that they would leave him alone! - all but the few he chose for playmates. He was firmly convinced that, left to himself, he would have long since achieved nirvana . . . dived into his own belly button and disappeared from view, like those Hindu jokers. Why couldn't they leave a man alone? By Robert A. Heinlein Packs Expect Reasonable Conduct Human

Pacifism is a shifty doctrine under which a man accept the benefits of the social group without being willing to pay-and claims a halo for his dishonesty. By Robert A. Heinlein Pacifism Dishonesty Shifty Doctrine Man

God made alcohol and he made feet - and he made 'em so you could put 'em together and be happy! By Robert A. Heinlein Made God Feet Put Happy

As for the tank, not only is it unAmerican and probably subversive to eat without watching stereo but also the racket from it would interfere even with a directional mike aimed at us from a distance . . . By Robert A. Heinlein Tank Distance Unamerican Subversive Eat

Victory in defeat, there is none higher. She didn't give up, Ben; she's still trying to lift that stone after it has crushed her. She's a father working while cancer eats away his insides, to bring home one more pay check. She's a twelve-year-old trying to mother her brothers and sisters because mama had to go to Heaven. She's a switchboard operator sticking to her post while smoke chokes her and fire cuts off her escape. She's all the unsung heroes who couldn't make it but never quit. By Robert A. Heinlein Victory Defeat Higher Ben Heaven

Don't appeal to mercy to God the Father up in the sky, little man, because he's not at home and never was at home, and couldn't care less. What you do with yourself, whether you are happy or unhappy- live or die- is strictly your business and the universe doesn't care. In fact you may be the universe and the only cause of all your troubles. But, at best, the most you can hope for is comradeship with comrades no more divine (or just as divine) as you are. So quit sniveling and face up to it- 'Thou art God!' By Robert A. Heinlein Home Father Care God Sky

The correct way to punctuate a sentence that states: "Of course it is none of my business, but " is to place a period after the word "but." Don't use excessive force in supplying such a moron with a period. Cutting his throat is only a momentary pleasure and is bound to get you talked about. By Robert A. Heinlein Period States Business Word Correct

I was not giving answers. I was trying to shake the reader loose from some preconceptions and induce him to think for himself, along new and fresh lines. In consequence, each reader gets something different out of that book because he himself supplies the answers ... It is an invitation to think not to believe. By Robert A. Heinlein Answers Giving Reader Lines Shake

Least hypothesis held no place of preference; Occam's razor could not slice the prime problem, the Nature of the Mind of God (might as well call it that to yourself, you old scoundrel; it's a short, simple, Anglo-Saxon monosyllable, not banned by having four letters - and as good a tag for what you don't understand as any). By Robert A. Heinlein Simple Occam God Nature Mind

My old man taught me two things: 'Mind own business' and 'Always cut cards.' By Robert A. Heinlein Mind Things Cards Man Taught

Marrying Gretchen is a good idea, darling; I would enjoy bringing her up. Teaching her to shoot, helping her with her first baby, coaching her in how to handle a knife, working out with her in martial arts, all the homey domestic skills a girl needs in this modern world. By Robert A. Heinlein Gretchen Darling Marrying Idea Good

One could write a history of science in reverse by assembling the solemn pronouncements of highest authority about what could not be done and could never happen. By Robert A. Heinlein Happen Write History Science Reverse

A scientifically verifiable theory of morals must be rooted in the individual's instinct to survive - and nowhere else! - and must correctly describe the hierarchy of survival, note the motivations at each level, and resolve all conflicts. By Robert A. Heinlein Survive Scientifically Verifiable Theory Morals

All human behavior, all human motivations, all man's hopes and fears, were heavily colored and largely controlled by mankind's tragic and oddly beautiful pattern of reproduction. By Robert A. Heinlein Human Behavior Motivations Fears Reproduction

No one ever does anything but what he wants to do - 'enjoys' - within the possibilities open to him. If I change a tire, it's because I enjoy it more than being stranded. By Robert A. Heinlein Enjoys Possibilities Open Tire Stranded

The shamans are forever yacking about their snake oil miracles. I prefer the real McCoy, a pregnant woman. By Robert A. Heinlein Miracles Shamans Forever Yacking Snake

Both for practical reasons and for mathematically verifiable moral reasons, authority and responsibility must be equal - else a balancing takes place as surely as current flows between points of unequal potential. To permit irresponsible authority is to sow disaster; to hold a man responsible for anything he does not control is to behave with blind idiocy. The unlimited democracies were unstable because their citizens were not responsible for the fashion in which they exerted their sovereign authority ... other than through the tragic logic of history ... No attempt was made to determine whether a voter was socially responsible to the extent of his literally unlimited authority. If he voted the impossible, the disastrous possible happened instead - and responsibility was then forced on him willy-nilly and destroyed both him and his foundationless temple. By Robert A. Heinlein Reasons Authority Responsible Equal Potential

Patriotism is not 'my country right or wrong'; patriotism means loving the ideals for which America stands and having the courage to speak up when these ideals are distorted for personal or political gain. The American government was instituted to be the servant of the people, not our master. By Robert A. Heinlein Patriotism America Ideals Wrong Gain

Man has no moral instinct. He is not born with moral sense. You were not born with it, I was not - and a puppy has none. We acquire moral sense, when we do, through training, experience, and hard sweat of the mind. By Robert A. Heinlein Moral Sense Man Instinct Born

The depths of winter longing are ice within my heartThe shards of broken covenants lie sharp against my soulThe wraiths of long-lost ecstasy still keep us two apartThe amen winds of bitterness sill keen from turn to pole.The scares are twisted tendons, the stumps of struck-off limbs,The aching pit of hunger and throb of unset bone,My sanded burning eyeballs, as might within them dims,Add nothin to the torment of lying here alone ... The shimmering flames of fever trace out your blessed face My broken eardrums echo yet your voice inside my headI do not fear the darkness that comes to me apaceI only dread the loss of you thy comes when I am dead. By Robert A. Heinlein Broken Tendons Eyeballs Depths Winter

Violence never settles anything should be debated by the ghosts of Hitler and Stalin, with the city fathers of Carthage as referees. By Robert A. Heinlein Stalin Hitler Carthage Violence Referees

The fact is I am a compulsive reader. Thirty-five cents' worth of Gold Medal Original will put me right to sleep. Or Perry Mason. But I'll read the ads in an old Paris-Match that has been used to wrap herring before I'll do without. By Robert A. Heinlein Reader Fact Compulsive Gold Medal

The way to live a long time - oh, a thousand years or more - is something between the way a child does it and the way a mature man does it. Give the future enough thought to be ready for it - but don't worry about it. Live each day as if you were to die next sunrise. Then face each sunrise as a fresh creation and live for it, joyously. And never think about the past. No regrets, ever. By Robert A. Heinlein Time Live Long Thousand Years

I see the beauty of Mike's attempt to devise an ideal ethic and applaud his recognition that such must start by junking the present sexual code and starting fresh. Most philosophers haven't the courage for this; they swallow the basics of the present codemonogamy, family pattern, continence, body taboos, conventional restrictions on intercourse, and so forththen fiddle with details ... even such piffle as discussing whether the female breast is an obscene sight! (p.365) By Robert A. Heinlein Mike Present Fresh Beauty Attempt

His was not a small mind bothered by logic and consistency. By Robert A. Heinlein Consistency Small Mind Bothered Logic

I often calculate odds on horse races; the civil service computermen frequently program such requests. But the results are so at variance with expectations that I have concluded either that the data is too meager, or the horses or riders are not honest. Possibly all three. By Robert A. Heinlein Races Requests Calculate Odds Civil

Mahmoud, sir. No, Doctor Mahmoud is not well. A - a slight nervous breakdown, sir. Van Tromp reflected that being dead drunk was the moral equivalent thereof. By Robert A. Heinlein Sir Mahmoud Doctor Tromp Breakdown

Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks. By Robert A. Heinlein Excess Life Bites Moderation Monks

Some logics get nervous breakdowns. Overloaded phone system behaves like frightened child. Mike did not have upsets, acquired sense of humor instead. Low one. If he were a man, you wouldn't dare stoop over. His idea of thigh-slapper would be to dump you out of bed - or put itch powder in pressure suit. By Robert A. Heinlein Breakdowns Logics Nervous Overloaded Child

There has grown up in the minds of certain groups in this country the notion that because a man or corporation has made a profit out of the public for a number of years, the government and the courts are charged with the duty of guaranteeing such profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances and contrary to the public interest. This strange doctrine is not supported by statute not common law. Neither individuals not corporations have any right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back. By Robert A. Heinlein Public Profit Years Future Interest

Being privileged to work hard for long hours at something you think is worth doing is the best kind of play. By Robert A. Heinlein Play Privileged Work Hard Long

There used to be, dirtside, a legal defenses called "diminished capacity" and "not guilty by reason on insanity." These concepts would bewilder a Loonie. In Luna City a man would necessarily be of diminished mental capacity to even think about rape; to carry one out would be the strongest possible proof of insanity - but among Loonies such mental disorders would not gain a rapist any sympathy. loonies do not psychoanalyze a rapist; they kill him. Now. Fast. Brutally. By Robert A. Heinlein Dirtside Insanity Called Loonies Legal

Hendrick, I have explained these matters to you because it is useless to punish a man unless he knows why he is being punished. By Robert A. Heinlein Hendrick Punished Explained Matters Useless

Almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. By Robert A. Heinlein Cult Sect Religion Legislate Creed

My dear, religion is a null area in the law. A church can do anything any organization can do - and has no restrictions. It pays no taxes, need not publish records, is effectively immune to search, inspection, or control - and a church is anything that calls itself a church. Attempts have been made to distinguish between 'real' religions entitled to immunities, and 'cults.' It can't be done, short of establishing a state religion . . . a cure worse than the disease. By Robert A. Heinlein Church Dear Law Null Area

The instinct to survive is human nature itself, and every aspect of our personalities derives from it. Anything that conflicts with the survival instinct acts sooner or later to eliminate the individual and thereby fails to show up in future generations ... A scientifically verifiable theory of morals must be rooted in the individual's instinct to surviveand nowhere else!and must correctly describe the hierarchy of survival, note the motivations at each level, and resolve all conflicts.We have such a theory now; we can solve any moral problem, on any level. Self-interest, love of family, duty to country, responsibility toward the human race ... The basis of all morality is duty, a concept with the same relation to group that self-interest has to individual. By Robert A. Heinlein Instinct Individual Survive Nature Aspect

Writing is a legal way of avoiding work without actually stealing and one that doesn't take any talent or training By Robert A. Heinlein Writing Training Legal Avoiding Work

When he kisses you he isn't doing anything else. You're his whole universe, and the moment is eternal because he doesn't have any plans and isn't going anywhere. Just kissing you ... it's overwhelming. By Robert A. Heinlein Kisses Universe Moment Eternal Plans

I don't see why human people make such a heavy trip out of sex. It isn't anything complex, it is simply the best thing in life, even better than food. By Robert A. Heinlein Sex Human People Make Heavy

Being "up to something" was the unnamable and unforgiveable crime for which any American male could be indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced in one breath. He wondered how things had gotten rigged so that the male half of the race must always behave to suit feminine rules and feminine logic, like a snotty-nosed school boy in front of a stern teacher. By Robert A. Heinlein Convicted American Indicted Breath Male

Consider the black widow spider. It's a timid little beastie, useful and, for my taste, the prettiest of the arachnids, with its shiny, patent-leather finish and its red hourglass trademark. But the poor thing has the fatal misfortune of possessing enormously too much power for its size. So everybody kills it on sight. By Robert A. Heinlein Spider Black Widow Beastie Taste

Yes, yes, I know they make better pilots than men do; their reactions are faster, and they can tolerate more gee. They can get in faster, get out faster, and thereby improve everybody's chances, yours as well as theirs. But that still doesn't make it fun to be slammed against your spine at ten times your proper weight. But By Robert A. Heinlein Faster Gee Pilots Men Reactions

[J]uvenile delinquent' is a contradiction in terms. 'Delinquent' means 'failing in duty.' But duty is an adult virtueindeed a juvenile becomes an adult when, and only when, he acquires a knowledge and duty and embraces it more than the self-love he was born with. By Robert A. Heinlein Delinquent Uvenile Terms Duty Contradiction

I know where I came from - but where did all you zombies come from? By Robert A. Heinlein Zombies

A prude is a person who thinks that his own rules of propriety are natural laws. By Robert A. Heinlein Laws Prude Person Rules Propriety

Nobody has ever seen an electron. Nor a thought. You can't see a thought, you can't measure, weigh, nor taste it- but thoughts are the most real things in the Galaxy. By Robert A. Heinlein Electron Galaxy Thought Weigh Measure

Never try to outstubborn a cat. By Robert A. Heinlein Cat Outstubborn

I wanted us to get out of production. Jake Schmidt, our production shop master, was a good man; nevertheless I was forever being jerked out of a warm creative fog to straighten out bugs in production - which is like being dumped out of a warm bed into ice water. This was the real reason why I had been doing so much nightwork and staying away from the shop in the daytime. By Robert A. Heinlein Production Wanted Schmidt Warm Shop

I had no sympathy for him and still haven't. That old saw about "To understand all is to forgive all" is a lot of tripe. Some things, the more you understand the more you loathe them. By Robert A. Heinlein Sympathy Understand Tripe Things Forgive

That old saw about "To understand all is to forgive all" is a lot of tripe. Some things, the more you understand the more you loathe them. My By Robert A. Heinlein Tripe Understand Forgive Lot Things

Touch is the most fundamental sense. A baby experiences it, all over, before he is born and long before he learns to use sight, hearing, or taste, and no human ever ceases to need it. Keep your children short on pocket money but long on hugs By Robert A. Heinlein Touch Sense Hearing Fundamental Long

It may take endless wars and unbearable population pressure to force-feed a technology to the point where it can cope with space. In the universe, space travel may be the normal birth pangs of an otherwise dying race. A test. Some races pass, some fail. By Robert A. Heinlein Space Endless Wars Unbearable Population

If you're not too busy this evening, why don't you bring your soft shoes and your pads over to officers' row and we'll go waltzing Matilda? Say about eight o'clock." "Yes, sir." "That's not an order, that's an invitation. If you really are slowing down, By Robert A. Heinlein Matilda Evening Busy Bring Soft

I've been kissed by men who did a very good job. But they don't give kissing their whole attention. They can't. No matter how hard they try parts of their minds are on something else. Missing the last bus - or their chances of making the gal - or their own techniques in kissing - or maybe worry about jobs, or money, or will husband or papa or the neighbors catch on. Mike doesn't have technique ... but when Mike kisses you he isn't doing anything else. You're his whole universe ... and the moment is eternal because he doesn't have any plans and isn't going anywhere. Just kissing you. By Robert A. Heinlein Kissing Kissed Men Good Mike

Here, by the grace of God and an inside straight, we have a personality untouched by the psychotic taboos of our tribe - and you want to turn him into a carbon copy of every fourth-rate conformist in this frightened land! Why don't you go whole hog? Get him a brief case and make him carry it wherever he goes - make him feel shame if he doesn't have it. By Robert A. Heinlein God Straight Tribe Land Grace

Little Brother...precious darling...little imp with lively legs and lovely lewd lascivious lecherous licentious libido...beautiful bumps and pert posterior...with soft voice and gentle hands. My baby darling. By Robert A. Heinlein Brother Darling Precious Libido Beautiful

There were many, many times thereafter that Don regretted having enlisted - but so has every man who ever volunteered for military service. By Robert A. Heinlein Don Enlisted Service Times Regretted

Unless you intend to kill him immediately thereafter, never kick a man in the balls. Not even symbolically. Or perhaps especially not symbolically. By Robert A. Heinlein Balls Symbolically Intend Kill Immediately

I have never been able to see how a thirty-year old moron can vote more wisely than a fifteen-year old genius ... By Robert A. Heinlein Genius Thirtyyear Moron Vote Wisely

No matter what I said they insisted on thinking of God as something outside themselves. Something that yearns to take every indolent moron to His breast and comfort him. The notion that the effort has to be their own ... and that the trouble they are in is all their own doing ... is one that they can't or won't entertain. By Robert A. Heinlein God Matter Insisted Thinking Yearns

He should have known better because, early in his learnings under his brother Mahmoud, he had discovered that long human words (the longer the better) were easy, unmistakable, and rarely changed their meanings . . . but short words were slippery, unpredictable, changing their meanings without any pattern. Or so he seemed to grok. Short human words were never like a short Martian word - such as "grok" which forever meant exactly the same thing. Short human words were like trying to lift water with a knife. By Robert A. Heinlein Mahmoud Words Unmistakable Short Human

A touchstone to determine the actual worth of an "intellectual" - find out how he feels about astrology. By Robert A. Heinlein Intellectual Find Astrology Touchstone Determine

When a place gets crowded enough to require ID's, social collapse is not far away. It is time to go elsewhere. The best thing about space travel is that it made it possible to go elsewhere. By Robert A. Heinlein Social Place Crowded Require Collapse

A long and wicked life followed by five minutes of perfect grace gets you into Heaven. An equally long life of decent living and good works followed by one outburst of taking the name of the lord in vain- then have a heart attack at that moment and be damned for eternity. Is that the system? By Robert A. Heinlein Heaven Long Life Wicked Minutes

A slave cannot be freed, save he do it himself. Nor can you enslave a free man; the very most you can do is kill him! By Robert A. Heinlein Freed Save Slave Man Enslave

Minds me of a married woman who was very proud of her virtue. She slept with other men only when her husband was away. By Robert A. Heinlein Minds Virtue Married Woman Proud

Are you trying to tell all of us we have a bad signal-to-noise ratio? By Robert A. Heinlein Ratio Bad

People simplify 'Apollonian' into 'mild', and 'calm', and 'cool'. But 'Apollonian' and 'Dionysian' are two sides of one coina nun kneeling in her cell, holding perfectly still, can be in ecstacy more frenzied than any priestess of Pan Priapus celebrating the vernal equinox. By Robert A. Heinlein Apollonian Mild Calm Cool People

Stupidity is the only natural capital offense. By Robert A. Heinlein Stupidity Offense Natural Capital

A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot. By Robert A. Heinlein Rudeness Manners Dying Culture Invariably

To assess the intelligence of a committee, divide the IQ of its stupidest member by the number of members. By Robert A. Heinlein Committee Divide Assess Intelligence Stupidest

I had taken a partner once before - but, damnation, no matter how many times you get your fingers burned, you have to trust people. Otherwise you are a hermit in a cave, sleeping with one eye open. By Robert A. Heinlein Damnation Burned People Partner Matter

If change threatens you, you become conservative in self-defense. If it thrills you, you become liberal in self-liberation. He says the Threateneds are frequently more successful in the short run, because they always fight dirty. But in the long run, they always lose, because Thrilled people learn and thus accomplish more. By Robert A. Heinlein Selfdefense Change Threatens Conservative Run

But you don't have to take his advice. Whether you use his ideas, or whether they spark some different plan - make your decision and snap out orders. The one thing - the only thing! - that can strike terror in the heart of a good platoon sergeant is to find that he's working for a boss who can't make up his mind. By Robert A. Heinlein Advice Thing Make Ideas Plan

Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer, honest figures come out. Never doubted it myself till I met a computer with a sense of humor. By Robert A. Heinlein Suspect Honest Figures Computer Granted

Some people insist that 'mediocre' is better than 'best.' They delight in clipping wings because they themselves can't fly. They despise brains because they have none. By Robert A. Heinlein Mediocre People Insist Fly Delight

That God is in truth the sort of bloodthirsty paranoid Who would rend to bits forty-two children for the crime of sassing one of his priests. Don't ask me about the Front Office's policies; I just work here. By Robert A. Heinlein God Priests Truth Sort Bloodthirsty

I've never been able to understand 'faith' myself, nor to see how a just God could expect his creatures to pick the one true religion out of an infinitude of false ones - by faith alone. It strikes me as a sloppy way to run an organization, whether universe or a smaller one. By Robert A. Heinlein God Faith Understand Expect Creatures

The difference between science and the fuzzy subjects is that science requires reasoning while those other subjects merely require scholarship. By Robert A. Heinlein Scholarship Science Subjects Difference Fuzzy

Everything and anything about a culture can be inferred from the shape of its language - and By Robert A. Heinlein Language Culture Inferred Shape

The profession of shaman has many advantages. It offers high status with a safe livelihood free of work in the dreary, sweaty sense. In most societies it offers legal privileges and immunities not granted to other men. But it is hard to see how a man who has been given a mandate from on High to spread tidings of joy to all mankind can be seriously interested in taking up a collection to pay his salary; it causes one to suspect that the shaman is on the moral level of any other con man. But it is a lovely work if you can stomach it. By Robert A. Heinlein Advantages Profession High Offers Shaman

Certainly the game is rigged. Don't let that stop you; if you don't bet you can't win. By Robert A. Heinlein Rigged Game Win Stop Bet

Most neuroses and some psychoses can be traced to the unnecessary and unhealthy habit of daily wallowing in the troubles and sins of five billion strangers. By Robert A. Heinlein Strangers Neuroses Psychoses Traced Unnecessary

It's a long story. Want a refill?""No, let's start the steak. Where's the button?""Right here.""Well, push it.""Me? You offered to cook.""Ben Caxton, I will lie here and starve before I will get up to push a button six inches from your finger""As you wish." He pressed the button. "But don't forget who cooked dinner. By Robert A. Heinlein Story Button Long Push Ben

He held a vast but carefully concealed distaste for all things American. Their incredible polytheistic babel of religions, of course, although they were hardly to be blamed for that . . . their cooking (cooking!!!), their manners, their bastard architecture and sickly arts . . . and their blind, pathetic, arrogant belief in their superiority long after their sun had set. Their women. Their women most of all, their immodest, assertive women, with their gaunt, starved bodies which nevertheless reminded him disturbingly of houris. By Robert A. Heinlein American Women Held Vast Carefully

A handy short definition of almost all science fiction might read: realistic speculation about possible future events, based solidly on adequate knowledge of the real world, past and present, and on a thorough understanding of the nature and significance of the scientific method. By Robert A. Heinlein Read Realistic Events Based World

Liberty is never unalienable; it must be redeemed regularly with the blood of patriots or it always vanishes. Of all the so-called natural human rights that have ever been invented, liberty is least likely to be cheap and is never free of cost. By Robert A. Heinlein Liberty Unalienable Vanishes Redeemed Regularly

First is our unbreakable rule that every candidate must be a trained trooper, blooded under fire, a veteran of combat drops. No other army in history has stuck to this rule, although some came close. Most great military schools of the past - Saint Cyr, West Point, Sandhurst, Colorado Springs - didn't even pretend to follow it; they accepted civilian boys, trained them, commissioned them, sent them out with no battle experience to command men . . . and sometimes discovered too late that this smart young 'officer' was a fool, a poltroon, or a hysteric. By Robert A. Heinlein Trooper Blooded Fire Drops Rule

In a mature society, 'civil servant' is semantically equal to 'civil master.' By Robert A. Heinlein Civil Society Servant Master Mature

Those who refuse to support and defend the state have no claim to protection by that state. Killing an anarchist or a pacifist should not be considered "murder" in a legalistic sense. The offense against the state, if any, should be "Using deadly weapons within city limits," or "Creating a traffic hazard," or other misdemeanor. By Robert A. Heinlein State Refuse Support Defend Claim

There was one field in which man was unsurpassed; he showed unlimited ingenuity in devising bigger and more efficient ways to kill off, enslave, harass, and in all ways make an unbearable nuisance of himself to himself. Man was his own grimmest joke on himself. The very bedrock of humor was - Man is the animal who laughs, By Robert A. Heinlein Enslave Harass Man Unsurpassed Field

It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so, and will follow it by suppressing opposition, subverting all education to seize early the minds of the young, and by killing, locking up, or driving underground all heretics. By Robert A. Heinlein Cult Sect Opposition Subverting Young

A skunk is better company than a person who prides himself on being 'frank'. By Robert A. Heinlein Frank Skunk Company Person Prides

A juvenile becomes an adult when, and only when, he acquires a knowledge of duty and embraces it as dearer than the self-love he was born with. By Robert A. Heinlein Juvenile Adult Acquires Knowledge Duty

A pacifist male is a contradiction in terms. Most self-described "pacifists" are not pacific; they simply assume false colors. When the wind changes, they hoist the Jolly Roger. By Robert A. Heinlein Terms Male Contradiction Roger Jolly

Still rarer is the man who thinks habitually, who applies reason, rather than habit pattern, to all his activity. Unless he masques himself, his is a dangerous life; he is regarded as queer, untrustworthy, subversive of public morals; he is a pink monkey among brown monkeys a fatal mistake. Unless the pink monkey can dye himself brown before he is caught.The brown monkey's instinct to kill is correct; such men are dangerous to all monkey customs.Rarest of all is the man who can and does reason at all times, quickly, accurately, inclusively, despite hope or fear or bodily distress, without egocentric bias or thalmic disturbance, with correct memory, with clear distinction between fact, assumption, and non-fact. By Robert A. Heinlein Monkey Brown Man Habitually Pattern

Home is the place in deepest space Where star etched memories burn,Home is that sigh for a color of skyand a will to return. By Robert A. Heinlein Home Return Place Deepest Space

Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy and censorship. When any government or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, "This you may not read, this you must not know," the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a man who has been hoodwinked in this fashion; contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man, whose mind is free. No, not the rack nor the atomic bomb, not anything. You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him. By Robert A. Heinlein Free Secrecy Force Man Keystone

Another bug hunt, boys. This one is a little different, as you know. Since they still hold prisoners of ours, we can't use a nova bomb on Klendathu --- so this time we go down, stand on it, hold it, take it away from them. The boat won't be down to retrieve us, instead it'll fetch more ammo and rations. If you're taken prisoner, keep your chin up and follow the rules --- because you've got the whole outfit behind you, you've got the whole Federation behind you; we'll come and get you. That's what the boys from the Swamp Fox and the Montgomery have been depending on. Those who are still alive are waiting, knowing that we will show up. And here we are. Now we go get 'em. By Robert A. Heinlein Hunt Bug Hold Boys Klendathu

I say 'art' advisedly, for art is undefined, undefinable, and without limits. I can use the word without fear of misusing it, for it has no exact meaning. There are as many meanings as there are artists. By Robert A. Heinlein Advisedly Undefinable Art Undefined Limits

But how, from the viewpoint of a Martian, did man differ from other animals? Would a race that could levitate and god knows what else be impressed by engineering? If so would the Aswan Dam or a thousand miles of coral reef win first prize? Man's self awareness, sheer conceit. There was no way to prove that sperm whales and sequoias were not philosophers and poets exceeding any human merit? By Robert A. Heinlein Martian Animals Viewpoint Differ Man

At least once every human should have to run for his life, to teach him that milk does not come from supermarkets, that safety does not come from policemen, that 'news' is not something that happens to other people. He might learn how his ancestors lived and that he himself is no differentin the crunch his life depends on his agility, alertness, and personal resourcefulness. By Robert A. Heinlein Life Supermarkets Policemen News People

That old saw about the early bird just proves that the worm should have stayed in bed. By Robert A. Heinlein Bed Early Bird Proves Worm

Happiness lies in being privileged to work hard for long hours in doing whatever you think is worth doing. One man may find happiness in supporting a wife and children. Another may find it in robbing banks. Still another may labor mightily for years in pu By Robert A. Heinlein Happiness Lies Privileged Work Hard

To Mahmoud, Harshaw looked like a museum exhibit of what he thought of as a "Yank" - vulgar, dressed too informally for the occasion, loud, probably ignorant and almost certainly provincial. A professional man, too, which made it worse, as in Dr. Mahmoud's experience most American professional men were under-educated and narrow, mere technicians. By Robert A. Heinlein Yank Harshaw Vulgar Loud Mahmoud

The best things in life are beyond money; their price is agony and sweat and devotion ... and the price demanded for the most precious of all things in life is life itself - ultimate cost for perfect value. By Robert A. Heinlein Life Things Money Devotion Ultimate

I'm afraid of coaching, of writer's classes, of writer's magazines, of books on how to write. They give me centipede trouble - you know the yarn about the centipede who was asked how he managed all his feet? He tried to answer, stopped to think about it, and was never able to walk another step. By Robert A. Heinlein Writer Coaching Classes Magazines Write

The meek shall inherit the earth - a 6 foot plot above them. By Robert A. Heinlein Earth Foot Meek Inherit Plot

The ethics of sex is a thorny problem. Each of us is forced to grope for a solution he can live with - in the face of preposterous, unworkable, and evil code of so-called 'Morals.' Most of us know the code is wrong, almost everybody breaks it. But we pay Danegeld by feeling guilty and giving lip service. Willy-nilly, the code rides us, dead and stinking, an albatross around the neck. By Robert A. Heinlein Problem Code Morals Ethics Sex

Our behavior is different. How often have you seen a headline like this?TWO DIE ATTEMPTING RESCUE OF DROWNING CHILD. If a man gets lost in the mountains, hundreds will search and often two or three searchers are killed. But the next time somebody gets lost just as many volunteers turn out.Poor arithmetic, but very human. It runs through all our folklore, all human religions, all our literaturea racial conviction that when one human needs rescue, others should not count the price. By Robert A. Heinlein Child Human Behavior Rescue Die

All societies are based on rules to protect pregnant women and young children. All else is surplusage, excrescence, adornment, luxury, or folly which can - and must - be dumped in emergency to preserve this prime function. As racial survival is the only universal morality, no other basic is possible. Attempts to formulate a "perfect society" on any foundation other than "Women and children first!" is not only witless, it is automatically genocidal. Nevertheless, starry-eyed idealists (all of them male) have tried endlessly - and no doubt will keep trying. By Robert A. Heinlein Women Societies Based Rules Protect

Good!" the creature echoed. "Doctor Nelson will be along in a minute. Feel like some breakfast?" All four symbols in the query were in Smith's vocabulary but he had trouble believing that he had heard them rightly. He knew that he was food, but he did not "feel like" food. Nor had he had any warning that he might be selected for such an honor. He had not known that the food supply was such that it was necessary to reduce the corporate group. He was filled with mild regret, since there was still so much to grok of these new events, but no reluctance. By Robert A. Heinlein Good Echoed Creature Feel Food

Revolutions are not won by enlisting the masses. Revolution is a science for the few who are competent to practice it. It depends on correct organisation and above all, on communications. By Robert A. Heinlein Masses Won Enlisting Revolutions Communications

A monarch's neck should always have a noose around it - it keeps him upright. By Robert A. Heinlein Upright Monarch Neck Noose

Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation. By Robert A. Heinlein Attitude Relation Mother Biological

With just a touch more self confidence and a liberal helping of ignorance I could have been a famous evangelist. By Robert A. Heinlein Evangelist Touch Confidence Liberal Helping

Cheops' Law: Nothing ever gets built on schedule or within budget. By Robert A. Heinlein Law Cheops Budget Built Schedule

Terra had climbed well beyond that which its By Robert A. Heinlein Terra Climbed

But when they began handing out doctorates for comparative folk dancing and advanced fly-fishing, I became too stink in' proud to use the title. I won't touch watered whiskey and I take no pride in watered-down degrees. By Robert A. Heinlein Flyfishing Proud Title Began Handing

Nothing could go wrong because nothing had ... I meant "nothing would." No - Then I quit trying to phrase it, realizing that if time travel ever became widespread, English grammar was going to have to add a whole new set of tenses to describe reflexive situations - conjugations that would make the French literary tenses and the Latin historical tenses look simple. By Robert A. Heinlein Wrong Tenses English French Latin

I have never been able to see life as anything but a vast complicated practical joke, and it's better to laugh than cry. By Robert A. Heinlein Joke Cry Life Vast Complicated

If you pray hard enough, water will run uphill. How hard? Why, hard enough to make water run uphill, of course! By Robert A. Heinlein Uphill Hard Run Pray Water

The sort of guardian you can hire is worth about as much as the sort of wife you can buy. By Robert A. Heinlein Sort Buy Guardian Hire Worth

It took you long enough to answer your phone." "It's my phone, Mr. Secretary. Sometimes I don't answer it at all. By Robert A. Heinlein Phone Secretary Long Answer

This very personal relationship, 'value,' has two factors for a human being: first, what he can do with a thing, its use to him . . . and second, what he must do to get it, its cost to him. There is an old song which asserts 'the best things in life are free.' Not true! Utterly false! This was the tragic fallacy which brought on the decadence and collapse of the democracies of the twentieth century; those noble experiments failed because the people had been led to believe that they could simply vote for whatever they wanted . . . and get it, without toil, without sweat, without tears. By Robert A. Heinlein Relationship Personal Factors Human Thing

You have to have been out on a long patrol to appreciate this properly. You need to have looked forward to your day of guard duty, for the privilege of standing two hours out of each six with your spine against bulkhead thirty and your ears cocked for just the sound of a female voice. I suppose it's actually easier in the all-stag ships ... but I'll take the Rodger Young. It's good to know that the ultimate reason you are fighting actually exists and that they are not just a figment of the imagination. By Robert A. Heinlein Properly Long Patrol Young Duty

Seems to be a deep instinct in human beings for making everything compulsory that isn't forbidden. By Robert A. Heinlein Forbidden Deep Instinct Human Making

Anybody can look at a pretty girl and see a pretty girl. An artist can look at a pretty girl and see the old woman she will become. A better artist can look at an old woman and see the pretty girl that she used to be. But a great artist-a master-and that is what Auguste Rodin was-can look at an old woman, protray her exactly as she is ... and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be ... and more than that, he can make anyone with the sensitivity of an armadillo, or even you, see that this lovely young girl is still alive, not old and ugly at all, but simply prisoned inside her ruined body. He can make you feel the quiet, endless tragedy that there was never a girl born who ever grew older than eighteen in her heart ... no matter what the merciless hours have done to her. Look at her, Ben. Growing old doesn't matter to you and me; we were never meant to be admired-but it does to them. By Robert A. Heinlein Pretty Girl Woman Artist Make

The early worm deserves the bird. By Robert A. Heinlein Bird Early Worm Deserves

I never do anything I don't want to do. Nor does anyone, but in my case I am always aware of it. By Robert A. Heinlein Case Aware

But space travel can't ease the pressure on a planet grown too crowded not even with today's ships and probably not with any future ships-because stupid people won't leave the slopes of their home volcano even when it starts to smoke and rumble. What space travel does do is drain off the best brains: those smart enough to see a catastrophe before it happens, and with the guts to pay the price-abandon home, wealth, friends, relatives, everything-and go. That's a tiny fraction of one percent. But that's enough. By Robert A. Heinlein Space Travel Rumble Home Ease

When, after a week, Jubal had had no other message, he sent a stat care of Ben's office: "Whatthe hell are you doing?" Ben's answer came back, somewhat delayed: "Studying Martian and the rules forhopscotch -- fraternally yours -- Ben. By Robert A. Heinlein Jubal Whatthe Ben Week Message

Anywhere is home to the man with a fat bank account - the cops leave him alone. By Robert A. Heinlein Account Home Man Fat Bank

When it don't rain, the roof don't leak; when it rains, I can't fix it nohow. By Robert A. Heinlein Leak Nohow Rain Rains Roof

We came here for a quiet, small, informal meeting - strictly business. We find you've turned it into a circus. Well, if you're going to have a circus, you've got to have elephants and there's no two ways about it. By Robert A. Heinlein Small Circus Quiet Informal Meeting

Son, quite aside from my own conditioned reflex against munching a roast haunch of - well, you, for example - quite aside from that trained-in emotional prejudice, for coldly practical reasons I regard our taboo against cannibalism as an excellent idea . . . because we are not civilized." "Huh?" "Obvious. If we didn't have a tribal taboo about the matter so strong that you honestly believed it was an instinct, I can think of a long list of people I wouldn't trust with my back turned, not with the price of beef what it is today. Eh? By Robert A. Heinlein Son Prejudice Idea Conditioned Reflex

On the steps of the Federal Building we ran into Carmencita Ibanez, a classmate of ours and one of the nice things about being a member of a race with two sexes. By Robert A. Heinlein Ibanez Federal Building Carmencita Sexes

Girls are simply wonderful. Just to stand on a corner and watch them going past is delightful. They don't walk. At least not what we do when we walk. I don't know how to describe it, but it's much more complex and utterly delightful. They don't move just their feet; everything moves and in different directions ... and all of it graceful. By Robert A. Heinlein Girls Wonderful Simply Delightful Walk

Spacemen die if they stay in one place. By Robert A. Heinlein Spacemen Place Die Stay

Spacemen - men who work in space, pilots and jetmen and astrogators and such - are men who like a few million miles of elbow room. By Robert A. Heinlein Spacemen Men Space Pilots Room

It is impossible for a man to love his wife whole heartedly without loving all women somewhat. I suppose that the converse must be true of women. By Robert A. Heinlein Women Impossible Man Love Wife

Remind me," Jubal said to her, "to write a popular article on the compulsive reading of news. The theme will be that most neuroses and some psychoses can be traced to the unnecessary and unhealthy habit of daily wallowing in the troubles and sins of five billion strangers. The title is 'Gossip Unlimited' - no, make that 'Gossip Gone Wild. By Robert A. Heinlein Jubal Gossip Remind Write Popular

write an article on the compulsive reading of news. The theme will be that most neuroses can be traced to the unhealthy habit of wallowing in the troubles of five billion strangers. Title By Robert A. Heinlein Write Article Compulsive Reading Title

The capacity of the human mind for swallowing nonsense and spewing it forth in violent and repressive action has never yet been plumbed. By Robert A. Heinlein Plumbed Capacity Human Mind Swallowing

If you load a mud foot down with a lot of gadgets that he has to watch, somebody a lot more simply equipped - say with a stone ax - will sneak up and bash his head in while he is trying to read a vernier. By Robert A. Heinlein Lot Watch Equipped Vernier Load

- I'm so busy doing what I must do that I don't have time for what I ought to do ... and I never get a chance to do what I want to do!- Son, that's universal. The way to keep that recipe from killing you is occasionally to do what you want to do anyhow. By Robert A. Heinlein Son Universal Busy Time Chance

Death is an old friend; I know him well. I lived with him, ate with him, slept with him; to meet him again does not frighten me death is as necessary as birth, as happy in its own way. By Robert A. Heinlein Death Friend Ate Slept Birth

Around the time of the Terran Caesar Augustus, a Martian artist had been composing a work of art. It could have been called a poem, a musical opus, or a philosophical treatise; it was a series of emotions arranged in tragic, logical necessity. Since it could be experienced by a human only in the sense in which a man blind from birth might have a sunset explained to him, it does not matter which category it be assigned. By Robert A. Heinlein Augustus Terran Caesar Martian Art

I don't pay much attention to politics.""You should. It's barely less important than your own heart beat. By Robert A. Heinlein Politics Pay Attention Beat Barely

Because revolution - armed uprising - requires not only dissatisfaction but aggressiveness. A revolutionist has to be willing to fight and die - or he's just a parlor pink. If you separate out the aggressive ones and make them the sheep dogs, the sheep will never give you trouble. By Robert A. Heinlein Revolution Armed Uprising Requires Aggressiveness

Never underestimate the power of human stupidity. By Robert A. Heinlein Stupidity Underestimate Power Human

It was all very puzzling - both that Jill could smell still more like Jill ... and that Dorcas should wish to smell like Jill when she already smelled like herself ... and that Jubal would say that Dorcas smelled like a cat when she did not. There was a cat who lived on the place (not as a pet, but as co-owner); on rare occasions it came to the house and deigned to accept a handout. The cat and Mike had grokked each other at once, and Mike had found its carniverous thoughts most pleasing and quite Martian. He had discovered, too, that the cat's name (Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche) was not the cat's name at all, but he had not told anyone this because he could not pronounce the cat's real name; he could only hear it in its head.The cat did not smell like Dorcas. By Robert A. Heinlein Jill Cat Jubal Dorcas Smelled

Unexpected discorporation was always rare on Mars; Martian taste in such matters called for life to be a rounded whole, with physical death taking place at the appropriate and selected instant. This artist, however, had become so preoccupied with his work that he had forgotten to come in out of the cold; by the time his absence was noticed his body was hardly fit to eat. He himself had not noticed his own discorporation and had gone right on composing his sequence. By Robert A. Heinlein Mars Martian Unexpected Instant Rare

She taught me to love by loving me, and I learned - rather slowly; I wasn't too good a pupil, being set in my ways and lacking her natural talent. But I did learn. Learned that supreme happiness lies in wanting to keep another person safe and warm and happy, and being privileged to try. By Robert A. Heinlein Slowly Pupil Talent Taught Love

Of all the strange "crimes" that human beings have legislated out of nothing, "blasphemy" is the most amazing - with "obscenity" and "indecent exposure" fighting it out for second and third place. By Robert A. Heinlein Crimes Blasphemy Obscenity Strange Amazing

Drop dead-but first get permit By Robert A. Heinlein Drop Permit Deadbut

For me, politeness is a sine qua non of civilization. By Robert A. Heinlein Politeness Civilization Sine Qua

We used these rifles in field exercises to simulate a lot of deadlier and nastier aimed weapons, too. By Robert A. Heinlein Weapons Rifles Field Exercises Simulate

From the strictest humanitarian viewpoint, any attempt to stop the processes by which over crowded cities purge themselves is not a kindness. By Robert A. Heinlein Viewpoint Kindness Strictest Humanitarian Attempt

Uh, all right. Boss, you're infuriating when you're logical!" "Yes, a most uncouth way to argue. By Robert A. Heinlein Boss Logical Argue Infuriating Uncouth

The police of a state should never be stronger or better armed than the citizenry. An armed citizenry, willing to fight, is the foundation of civil freedom. That's a personal evaluation, of course. By Robert A. Heinlein Citizenry Armed Police State Stronger

It is what it is;...hit,shift, and rotate;... roll with the punch By Robert A. Heinlein Hitshift Rotate Roll Punch

Because the world has gone nutty and art always paints the spirit of its times By Robert A. Heinlein Times World Nutty Art Paints

We have our hands, we have our brains, we have the challenge all around us, and we have within (from whatever source) the will to strive. That is enough; there is no need to assert 'belief' in that which we do not, as yet, know. By Robert A. Heinlein Hands Brains Source Strive Challenge

There is no conclusive evidence of life after death, but there is no evidence of any sort against it. Soon enough you will know, so why fret about it? By Robert A. Heinlein Evidence Death Conclusive Life Sort

Faith strikes me as intellectual laziness. By Robert A. Heinlein Faith Laziness Strikes Intellectual

Anyone who can worship a trinity and insist that his religion is a monotheism can believe anything. By Robert A. Heinlein Worship Trinity Insist Religion Monotheism

Faith is intellectual laziness. By Robert A. Heinlein Faith Laziness Intellectual

That's a subject as safe as being in favor of Christmas. By Robert A. Heinlein Christmas Subject Safe Favor

Audacity, always audacity - soundest principal of strategy. By Robert A. Heinlein Audacity Soundest Strategy Principal

I was no fool; I was aware that when another man is too anxious to force money on one, it is time to examine the cards, for there is almost certainly something illegal, or dangerous, or both, involved in the matter. By Robert A. Heinlein Fool Cards Illegal Dangerous Involved

Mother had the social restraint of an ambassador. By Robert A. Heinlein Mother Ambassador Social Restraint

All men are created unequal. By Robert A. Heinlein Unequal Men Created

If a grasshopper tries to fight a lawnmower, one may admire his courage but not his judgement. By Robert A. Heinlein Lawnmower Judgement Grasshopper Fight Admire

The truth of a proposition has nothing to do with its credibility. And vice versa. By Robert A. Heinlein Credibility Truth Proposition Versa Vice

Richard, Bill has the socialist disease in its worst form; he thinks the world owes him a living. He told me sincerely - smugly! - that of course everyone was entitled to the best possible medical and hospital service - free of course, unlimited of course, and of course the government should pay for it. By Robert A. Heinlein Bill Richard Form Living Socialist

Democracy's worst fault is that its leaders are likely to reflect the faults and virtues of their constituents. By Robert A. Heinlein Democracy Constituents Worst Leaders Reflect

Strictly speaking, the Patrol is not a military organization at all." "Sir?" "I know, I know - you are trained to use weapons, you are under orders, you wear a uniform. But your purpose is not to fight, but to prevent fighting, by every possible means. The Patrol is not a fighting organization; it is the repository of weapons too dangerous to entrust to military men. By Robert A. Heinlein Patrol Strictly Speaking Sir Military

A book need never die and should not be killed; books were the immortal part of man. By Robert A. Heinlein Killed Man Die Immortal Part

When I don't understand, I have an unbearable itch to know why. By Robert A. Heinlein Understand Unbearable Itch

It seems to me that any law that is not enforced and can't be enforced weakens all other laws. By Robert A. Heinlein Enforced Weakens Law Laws

Premenstrual Syndrome: Just before their periods women behave the way men do all the time. By Robert A. Heinlein Syndrome Premenstrual Time Periods Women

When one teaches, two learn. By Robert A. Heinlein Teaches Learn

He never gave up his search for the Door into Summer. By Robert A. Heinlein Summer Door Gave Search

The Mother Thing makes our world. By Robert A. Heinlein Mother Thing World Makes

Make money, lose money - who cares? The idea is to enjoy it. By Robert A. Heinlein Money Make Lose Cares Idea

I do know that the slickest way to lie is to tell the right amount of truththen shut up. By Robert A. Heinlein Slickest Lie Amount Truththen Shut

You do not truly own anything that you can't carry in both arms at a dead run By Robert A. Heinlein Run Carry Arms Dead

Men are expendable; women and children are not. A tribe or a nation can lose a high percentage of its men and still pick up the pieces and go on ... as long as the women and children are saved. By Robert A. Heinlein Expendable Children Men Women Tribe

Widows are far better than brides. They don't tell, they won't yell, they don't swell, they rarely smell, and they're grateful as hell. By Robert A. Heinlein Widows Brides Yell Swell Smell

Every time we killed a thousand Bugs at a cost of one M.I. it was a net victory for the Bugs. We were learning, expensively, just how efficient a total communism can be when used by a people actually adapted to it by evolution; the Bug commisars didn't care any more about expending soldiers than we cared about expending ammo. Perhaps we could have figured this out about the Bugs by noting the grief the Chinese Hegemony gave the Russo-Anglo-American Alliance; however the trouble with 'lessons from history' is that we usually read them best after falling flat on our chins. By Robert A. Heinlein Bugs Time Killed Thousand Cost

War is not violence and killing, pure and simple; war is controlled violence, for a purpose. The purpose of war is to support your government's decisions by force. The purpose is never to kill the enemy just to be killing him . . . but to make him do what you want him to do. Not killing . . . but controlled and purposeful violence.Robert A. Heinlein - Starship Troopers By Robert A. Heinlein War Violence Purpose Pure Simple

Fact was, little Carmen was so ornamental that you just never thought about her being useful. By Robert A. Heinlein Carmen Fact Ornamental Thought

Civilians are like beans; you buy 'em as needed for any job which merely requires skill and savvy.But you can't buy fighting spirit. By Robert A. Heinlein Civilians Beans Spirit Buy Needed

What distinguishes Buddhism from any other faith I've studied - from most human beings, really - is that the people who face the wall and the people who face away from it have never fought a war over it. They're never going to agree ... but they feel no need to. Buddha himself is supposed to have said, People with opinions just go around bothering each other. By Robert A. Heinlein Buddhism Face People Studied Distinguishes

I'll give you an exact definition. When the happiness of another person becomes as essential to yourself as your own, then the state of love exists. By Robert A. Heinlein Definition Give Exact Exists Happiness

Pessimist by policy, optimist by temperament- it is possible to be both. How? By never taking an unnecessary chance and by minimizing the risks you can't avoid. This permits you to play out the game untroubled by the certainty of the outcome. By Robert A. Heinlein Pessimist Policy Optimist Temperament Avoid

Love your country, but never trust its government. By Robert A. Heinlein Love Country Government Trust

On two subjects the overwhelming majority of people regarded their own opinions as Absolute Truth, and sincerely believed that anyone who disagreed with them was immoral, outrageous, sinful, sacrilegious, offensive, intolerable, stupid, illogical, treasonable, actionable, against the public interest, ridiculous, and obscene. The two subjects were (of course) sex and religion. By Robert A. Heinlein Truth Outrageous Sinful Sacrilegious Offensive

One more point. The aspect of Venus is most favorable and potentially dominant over that of Mars. Venus symbolizes yourself, of course, but Mars is both your husband and young Smith - as a result of the unique circumstances of his birth. This throws a double burden on you and you must rise to the challenge; you must demonstrate those qualities calm wisdom and restraint which are peculiarly those of woman. By Robert A. Heinlein Mars Point Venus Smith Aspect

Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues which a man must develop himself; if he has them forced down him, he will vomit them out. By Robert A. Heinlein Loyalty Social Family Tribe Requires

Theology is never any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn't there. Theologians can persuade themselves of anything. By Robert A. Heinlein Theology Searching Dark Cellar Midnight

Need I point out that, despite the old saw about uneasy heads and crowns, it is nevertheless safer to be publicly a king than it is to be a pretender in hiding? A king can usually abdicate to save his neck; a pretender may renounce his pretensions but it makes his neck no safer - less so, in fact; it leaves him naked to his enemies. By Robert A. Heinlein Crowns Hiding King Pretender Safer

Whether the authorities be invaders or merely local tyrants, the effect of such [gun control] laws is to place the individual at the mercy of the state, unable to resist. By Robert A. Heinlein Tyrants Gun Control Laws State

Fulfillment in life is loving a good woman and killing a bad man. By Robert A. Heinlein Fulfillment Man Life Loving Good

The hardest part about gaining any new idea is sweeping out the false idea occupying that niche. As long as that niche is occupied, evidence and proof and logical demonstration get nowhere. But once the niche is emptied of the wrong idea that has been filling it - once you can honestly say, 'I don't know', then it becomes possible to get at the truth. By Robert A. Heinlein Niche Idea Hardest Part Gaining

He had learned that close-held secrets could often be cracked by going all the way to the top and there making himself unbearably unpleasant. He knew that such twisting of the tiger's tail was dangerous, for he understood the psychopathology of great power. By Robert A. Heinlein Unpleasant Learned Closeheld Secrets Cracked

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. By Robert A. Heinlein Orders Cooperate Diaper Plan Invasion

English is the largest of human tongues, with several times the vocabulary of the second largest language this alone made it inevitable that English would eventually become, as it did, the lingua franca of this planet, for it is thereby the richest and most flexible despite its barbaric accretions ... or, I should say, because of its barbaric accretions. English swallows up anything that comes its way, makes English out of it. By Robert A. Heinlein Accretions Barbaric English Largest Tongues

Sin lies only in hurting other people unnecessarily. All other "sins" are invented nonsense. (Hurting yourself is not sinful just stupid.) By Robert A. Heinlein Unnecessarily Hurting Lies People Sin

There's precious little choice." "There's always a choice! This one is a choice between 'bad' and 'worse - 'which is a difference much more poignant than that between 'good' and 'better. By Robert A. Heinlein Choice Precious Bad Worse Good

I've found out why people laugh. They laugh because it hurts so much ... because it's the only thing that'll make it stop hurting. By Robert A. Heinlein Laugh Found People Hurting Hurts

I know why we laugh. We laugh because it hurts, and it's the only thing to make it stop hurting. By Robert A. Heinlein Laugh Hurts Hurting Thing Make

There are two ways of forming an opinion. One is the scientific method; the other, the scholastic. To the scientific mind, experimental proof is all-important, and theory is merely a convenience in description, to be junked when it no longer fits. To the academic mind, authority is everything, and facts are junked when they do not fit theory. By Robert A. Heinlein Opinion Forming Scientific Mind Junked

Harshaw had the arrogant humility of the man who has learned so much that he is aware of his own ignorance and he saw no point in 'measurements' when he did not know what he was measuring. By Robert A. Heinlein Harshaw Measurements Measuring Arrogant Humility

First, I want your solemn oath not even to talk in your sleep about this job.""If my simple word is not good, is my oath better? By Robert A. Heinlein Job Good Oath Solemn Talk

I have spent too much of my life opening doors for cats - I once calculated that, since the dawn of civilization, nine hundred and seventy-eight man-centuries have been used up that way. I could show you figures. By Robert A. Heinlein Cats Civilization Spent Life Opening

Come Judgment Day, we may find that Mumbo Jumbo the God of the Congo was the Big Boss all along. By Robert A. Heinlein Day Judgment Mumbo Jumbo God

I was just pulling your leg and it came off in my hand. By Robert A. Heinlein Hand Pulling Leg

Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done, and why. Then do it. By Robert A. Heinlein Experts Listen

When you vote, you are exercising political authority, you're using force. And force, my friends, is violence. The supreme authority from which all other authorities are derived. By Robert A. Heinlein Force Vote Exercising Political Authority

It is almost impossible to shake of one's earliest training. Duke, can you get it through your skull that had you been brought up by Martians, you would have the same attitude toward eating and being eaten as Mike has. By Robert A. Heinlein Training Impossible Shake Earliest Martians

Thing that got me was not her list of things she hated, since she was obviously crazy as a Cyborg, but fact that always somebody agreed with her prohibitions. Must be a yearning deep in human heart to stop other people from doing as they please. Rules, laws - always for other fellow. A murky part of us, something we had before we came down out of trees, and failed to shuck when we stood up. Because not one of those people said: "Please pass this so that I won't be able to do something I know I should stop." Nyet, tovarishchee, was always something they hated to see neighbors doing. Stop them "for their own good" - not because speaker claimed to be harmed by it. By Robert A. Heinlein Cyborg Prohibitions Thing Things List

Man is what he is, a wild animal with the will to survive, and (so far) the ability against all competition ... The Universe will let us know-later-whether Man has any right to expand through it. By Robert A. Heinlein Man Survive Competition Wild Animal

From my point of view, a great deal of openly expressed piety is insufferable conceit. By Robert A. Heinlein View Conceit Point Great Deal

I wouldn't want Larry to die through my oversight. Larry is entitled to work out his own damn foolishness without having it cut short through my carelessness. Duke, I believe in everyone's working out his own damnation his own way . . . but nevertheless that is no excuse for an adult to give a dynamite cap to a baby as a toy. By Robert A. Heinlein Larry Oversight Die Duke Carelessness

To stay young requires unceasing cultivation of the ability to unlearn old falsehoods. By Robert A. Heinlein Falsehoods Stay Young Requires Unceasing

Till the stars grow old and our sun grows cold? Will you fight for us, lie for us, love us - and let us love you? By Robert A. Heinlein Till Cold Stars Sun Grow

Sovereign," like "love," means anything you want it to mean; it's a word in dictionary between "sober" and "sozzled. By Robert A. Heinlein Sovereign Love Sober Sozzled Word

I don't gamble, if you will concede that poker is a game of skill. By Robert A. Heinlein Gamble Skill Concede Poker Game

War is a simple matter compared with revolution. War is an applied science, with well-defined principles tested in history; analogous solutions may be found from ballista to H-bomb. But every revolution is a freak, a mutant, a monstrosity, its conditions never to be repeated and its operations carried out by amateurs and individualists. By Robert A. Heinlein War Simple Matter Compared Hbomb

Anne is so thoroughly indoctrinated that it doesn't even occur to her to infer that the other side is probably white, too. All the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't force her to commit herself as to the far side . . . unless she herself went around to the other side and looked - and even then she wouldn't assume that it stayed whatever color it might be after she left . . . because they might repaint it as soon as she turned her back. By Robert A. Heinlein King Side Anne White Indoctrinated

Minimize your therbligs until it becomes automatic; this doubles your effective lifetime - and thereby gives time to enjoy butterflies and kittens and rainbows. By Robert A. Heinlein Minimize Automatic Lifetime Rainbows Therbligs

Any custom is man-made and is therefore a finite attempt to describe an infinity of relationships. It follows as the night from day that any custom necessarily has its exceptions. By Robert A. Heinlein Relationships Custom Manmade Finite Attempt

If it can't be expressed in figures, it is not science; it is opinion. It has long been known that one horse can run faster than another - but which one? Differences are crucial. By Robert A. Heinlein Figures Science Opinion Expressed Long

The verdict to be passed on the third planet around Sol was never in doubt. By Robert A. Heinlein Sol Doubt Verdict Passed Planet

Politics is not evil; politics is the human race's most magnificent achievement. By Robert A. Heinlein Politics Evil Achievement Human Race

Cats have no sense of humor, they have terribly inflated egos, and they are very touchy. By Robert A. Heinlein Cats Humor Egos Touchy Sense

Butterflies are not insects,' Captain John Sterling said soberly. 'They are self-propelled flowers. By Robert A. Heinlein Captain John Sterling Butterflies Insects

Long human words (the longer the better) were easy, unmistakable, and rarely changed their meanings ... but short words were slippery, unpredictable, changing their meanings without any pattern. By Robert A. Heinlein Unmistakable Long Easy Meanings Unpredictable

(E)ach generation thinks it invented sex; each generation is totally mistaken. Anything along that line today was commonplace both in Pompeii and in Victorian England; the differences lie only in the degree of coverup if any. By Robert A. Heinlein Generation Ach Sex Mistaken Invented

Sin lies only in hurting others unnecessarily. All other "sins" are invented nonsense. By Robert A. Heinlein Unnecessarily Lies Hurting Sin Sins

A verbalizing race has words for every old concept . . . and creates new words or new definitions for old words whenever a new concept comes along. Always! A nervous system that is able to verbalize cannot avoid verbalizing; it's automatic. By Robert A. Heinlein Words Concept Race Verbalizing Creates

There comes a time in the life of every human when he or she must decide to risk "his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor" on an outcome dubious. Those who fail the challenge are merely overgrown children, can never be anything else. Jill Boardman encountered her personal challenge - and accepted it - at 3:47. By Robert A. Heinlein Life Risk Fortune Honor Dubious

His joy was somewhat sullied by immediate awareness that his brother did not fully share it . . . in truth, he seemed more distressed than was possible save in one about to discorporate because of some shameful lack or failure. But Smith had already learned that these creatures, so much like himself in some ways, could endure emotions dreadful to contemplate and still not die. His Brother Mahmoud underwent a spiritual agony five times daily and not only did not die but had urged the agony on him as a needful thing. His Brother Captain van Tromp suffered terrifying spasms unpredictably, any one of which should have, by Smith's standards, produced immediate discorporation to end the conflict - yet that brother was still corporate so far as he knew. By Robert A. Heinlein Brother Smith Joy Sullied Awareness

It seems to me that the secret of true happiness in life is to know what you are and then be content to be that, in style, head up and proud, and not yearn to be something else ... By Robert A. Heinlein Style Head Proud Secret True

Abstract design is all right - for wallpaper or linoleum. But art is the process of evoking pity or terror, which is not abstract at all but very human. By Robert A. Heinlein Linoleum Abstract Design Wallpaper Terror

Heroism' often consists in keeping your head in an emergency and doing the best you can with what you have instead of panicking and being shot in the tail. People who fight this way win more battles than do intentional heroes; a glory hound often throws away the lives of his mates as well as his own. By Robert A. Heinlein Heroism Tail Consists Keeping Head

He's as weird as snake's suspenders but sweet as a stolen kiss, too. By Robert A. Heinlein Kiss Weird Snake Suspenders Sweet

Jealousy is a disease, love is a healthy condition. The immature mind often mistakes one for the other, or assumes that the greater the love, the greater the jealousy - in fact, they are almost incompatible; one emotion hardly leaves room for the other. By Robert A. Heinlein Disease Condition Jealousy Love Greater

But when I see a black widow, I step on it; I don't plead with it to be a good little spider and please stop poisoning people. By Robert A. Heinlein Widow People Black Step Plead

They tell a story, probably not true, about a cap trooper who was sight-seeing in Paris. He visited Les Invalides, looked down at Napoleon's coffin, and said to a French guard there: "Who's he?"The Frenchman was properly scandalized. "Monsieur does not know? This is the tomb of Napoleon! Napoleon Bonaparte! The greatest soldier who ever lived!"The cap trooper thought about it. Then he asked, "So? Where were his drops? By Robert A. Heinlein Paris Napoleon Story True Invalides

Oh, "Tanstaafl." Means "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch." And isn't,' I added, pointing to a FREE LUNCH sign across room, 'or these drinks would cost half as much. Was reminding her that anything free costs twice as much in long run or turns out worthless. By Robert A. Heinlein Tanstaafl Free Lunch Added Pointing

A great artist can look at an old woman, portray her exactly as she is ... and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be ... more than that, he can make anyone with the sensitivity of an armadillo see that this lovely young girl is still alive By Robert A. Heinlein Woman Portray Girl Great Artist

Love is what still goes on when you're not horny. By Robert A. Heinlein Love Horny

From somewhere, back in my youth, heard Prof say, 'Manuel, when faced with a problem you do not understand, do any part of it you do understand, then look at it again.' He had been teaching me something he himself did not understand very well - something in math - but had taught me something far more important, a basic principle. By Robert A. Heinlein Manuel Prof Understand Back Youth

Men on the surface of a planet are as helpless against men in spaceships as a man would be trying to conduct a rock-throwing fight from the bottom of a well. The man at the top of the well has gravity working for him. By Robert A. Heinlein Men Man Surface Planet Helpless

Winslow says I don't understand plotting and probably I don't - I have been congratulated many times on the skill shown in my plotting when I knew damn well that the story in question had not been plotted in advance at all. My notion of a story is an interesting situation in which a human being has to cope with a problem, does so, and thereby changes his personality, character, or evaluations in some measure because the coping has forced him to revise his thinking. How h copes with it I can't plot because that depends on his character, and I don't know his what his character is until i get acquainted with him. When I can "hear the character talk" then I'm all right - he works out his own salvation. By Robert A. Heinlein Plotting Character Story Winslow Understand

That we were slaves I had known all my lifeand nothing could be done about it. True, we weren't bought and soldbut as long as Authority held monopoly over what we had to have and what we could sell to buy it, we were slaves. By Robert A. Heinlein Slaves Lifeand Authority True Bought

Stupidity cannot be cured. Stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death. There is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity. By Robert A. Heinlein Stupidity Cured Crime Death Universal

A wise man could not be insulted, since truth could not insult and untruth was not worthy of notice. By Robert A. Heinlein Insulted Notice Wise Man Truth

Learn to say No - and to be rude about it when necessary. Otherwise you will not have time to carry out your duty, or to do your own work, and certainly no time for love and happiness. The termites will nibble away your life and leave none of it for you. By Robert A. Heinlein Learn Rude Time Duty Work

Women and cats do as they damned well please, and men and dogs had best learn to live with it. By Robert A. Heinlein Women Cats Damned Men Dogs

I happen to be of an almost extinct breed, an old-fashioned gentlemanwhich means I can be a real revolving son of a bitch when it suits me. By Robert A. Heinlein Breed Happen Extinct Oldfashioned Gentlemanwhich

Most neuroses can be traced to the unhealthy habit of wallowing in the troubles of five billion strangers. By Robert A. Heinlein Strangers Neuroses Traced Unhealthy Habit

The junior hoodlums who roamed their streets were symptoms of a greater sickness; their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of 'rights' . . . and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure. By Robert A. Heinlein Rights Sickness Citizens Glorified Junior

Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire. The former are idealists acting from highest motives for the greatest good of the greatest number. The latter are surly curmudgeons, suspicious and lacking in altruism. But they are more comfortable neighbors than the other sort. By Robert A. Heinlein Communist Democrat Populist Fascist Liberal

I scrolled on down to the obituaries. I usually read the obituaries first as there is always the happy chance that one of them will make my day. By Robert A. Heinlein Obituaries Scrolled Day Read Happy

If possible, leave room for your enemy to become your friend. By Robert A. Heinlein Leave Friend Room Enemy

I did it for a little girl who was about to go charging out and maybe get herself killed much the same way - if I didn't do something. I did it because she was my guest and I temporarily stood in loco parentis to her. I did it because she was all guts and gallantry but too ignorant to be allowed to monkey with such a buzz saw; she'd get hurt. But you, my cynical and sin-stained chum, know all about those buzz saws. If your own asinine carelessness caused you to back into one, who am I to tamper with your karma? You picked it. By Robert A. Heinlein Girl Charging Killed Buzz Guest

In ascending order the qualities of Patriotism are: 1. To work, fight, or die for your own survival. 2. To work, fight, or die for your immediate family. 3. To work, fight, or die for a group, extended family, tribe, or clan. 4. To work, fight, or die for a group too large for all the individuals to know each other. 5. To work, fight, or die for a way of life. By Robert A. Heinlein Fight Work Die Patriotism Family

What a man doesn't know he can't spill if he is captured; neither drugs, nor torture, nor brainwash, nor endless lack of sleep can squeeze out a secret he doesn't possess. By Robert A. Heinlein Captured Drugs Torture Brainwash Possess

There are a dozen different ways of delivering destruction in impersonal wholesale, via ships and missiles of one sort or another, catastrophes so widespread, so unselective, that the war is over because that nation or planet has ceased to exist. What we do is entirely different. We make war as personal as a punch in the nose. We can be selective, applying precisely the required amount of pressure at the specified point at a designated time - we've never been told to go down and kill or capture all left-handed redheads in a particular area, but if they tell us to, we can. We will. By Robert A. Heinlein Wholesale Catastrophes Widespread Unselective Exist

When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know, the end result is tyranny and oppression no matter how holy the motives. By Robert A. Heinlein Matter Government Undertakes Subjects Read

I believe that this hairless embryo with the aching, oversize brain case and the opposable thumb, this animal barely up from the apes, will endure will endure longer than his home planet, will spread out to the other planets, to the stars, and beyond, carrying with him his honesty, his insatiable curiosity, his unlimited courage and his noble essential decency.This I believe with all my heart. By Robert A. Heinlein Endure Planet Planets Aching Oversize

She hesitated slightly. "I've seen what was called telekinesis with dice - but I'm no mathematician and I could not testify that what I saw was telekinesis." "Hell's bells, you wouldn't testify that the sun had risen if the day was cloudy. By Robert A. Heinlein Slightly Hesitated Testify Telekinesis Hell

It is a bad sign when the people of a country stop identifying themselves with the country and start identifying with a group. A racial group. Or a religion. Or a language. Anything, as long as it isn't the whole population. By Robert A. Heinlein Country Identifying Group Bad Sign

May you live as long as you wish and love as long as you live. By Robert A. Heinlein Long Live Love

I'm not trying to frighten you, but only a fool makes predictions based on ignorance; I am not that sort of fool. By Robert A. Heinlein Ignorance Fool Frighten Makes Predictions

It is said that God notes each sparrow that falls. And so He does. But the proper closest statement of it that can be made in English is that God cannot avoid noting the sparrow because the Sparrow is God. And when a cat stalks a sparrow both of them are God, carrying out God's thoughts. By Robert A. Heinlein God Sparrow Falls Notes English

The ways of God and government and girls are all mysterious, and it is not given to mortal man to understand them. By Robert A. Heinlein God Mysterious Government Girls Mortal

Note the individual and subjective nature of each case. No two are alike and there is no reason to expect them to be. Each man or woman must find for himself or herself that occupation in which hard work and long hours make him or her happy. Contrariwise, if you are looking for shorter hours and longer vacations and early retirement, you are in the wrong job. Perhaps you need to take up bank robbing. Or geeking in a sideshow. Or even politics. By Robert A. Heinlein Note Case Individual Subjective Nature

I'm always suspicious of disinterested interest. By Robert A. Heinlein Interest Suspicious Disinterested

I'm not feisty. But when you're as small as I am and female if you don't stand up for your rights, you're sure to be pushed around by big, hairy, smelly men with delusions about male superiority. By Robert A. Heinlein Feisty Hairy Big Smelly Superiority

An air car was just landing in the garden by the pool and beings under it were complaining of injuries and indignities done them. Perhaps this was the trouble he could feel? Grasses were for walking on, flowers and bushes were not - this was a wrongness. By Robert A. Heinlein Air Car Landing Garden Pool

[T]here seems to have been an actual decline in rational thinking. The United States had become a place where entertainers and professional athletes were mistaken for people of importance. They were idolized and treated as leaders; their opinions were sought on everything and they took themselves just as seriously-after all, if an athlete is paid a million or more a year, he knows he is important ... so his opinions of foreign affairs and domestic policies must be important, too, even though he proves himself to be ignorant and subliterate every time he opens his mouth. By Robert A. Heinlein Thinking Actual Decline Rational Important

[A person], having no self-respect, needs and demands a show of public respect. By Robert A. Heinlein Person Selfrespect Respect Demands Show

It is a region of high plains and of mountains, having limited fertility but esteemed for natural beauty. Its By Robert A. Heinlein Mountains Beauty Region High Plains

All cats are not gray after midnight. By Robert A. Heinlein Midnight Cats Gray

If you happen to be one of the fretful minority who can do creative work, never force an idea; you'll abort it if you do. Be patient and you'll give birth to it when the time is ripe. Learn to wait. By Robert A. Heinlein Work Idea Happen Fretful Minority

Whoring is like military service ... okay in the upper brackets, not so good lower down. By Robert A. Heinlein Whoring Service Military Brackets Upper

All normal human beings have soi-disant mixed-up glands. The race is divided into two parts: those who know this and those who do not. By Robert A. Heinlein Glands Normal Human Soidisant Mixedup

Men are more sentimental than women. It blurs their thinking. By Robert A. Heinlein Men Women Sentimental Thinking Blurs

I made a very important discovery at Camp Currie. Happiness consists in getting enough sleep. Just that, nothing more. All the wealthy, unhappy people you've ever met take sleeping pills; Mobile Infantrymen don't need them. Give a cap trooper a bunk and time to sack out in it and he's as happy as a worm in an apple - asleep. By Robert A. Heinlein Currie Camp Made Important Discovery

What a wonderful world it is that has girls in it! By Robert A. Heinlein Wonderful World Girls

A child's life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark. By Robert A. Heinlein Mark Child Life Piece Paper

If I don't start having service I'm going to swap you all for a dog and shoot the dog. By Robert A. Heinlein Dog Start Service Swap Shoot

I wish we had somebody here who never would be missed. Regrettably we are all friends. By Robert A. Heinlein Missed Regrettably Friends

Love is a that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own ... Jealousy is a disease, love is a healthy condition. The immature mind often mistakes one for the other, or assumes that the greater the love, the greater the jealousy By Robert A. Heinlein Love Condition Happiness Person Essential

Age does not bring wisdom, Ben, but it does give perspective ... and the saddest sight of all is to see, far behind you, temptations you've resisted. By Robert A. Heinlein Ben Age Wisdom Perspective Temptations

Anyone can see a forest fire. Skill lies in sniffing the first smoke. By Robert A. Heinlein Fire Forest Skill Smoke Lies

The problem with dictatorships - as I read somewhere recently - and with poisonous ideologies, too, is that they are like sharks. They must keep moving forward or die. What caused their aggression is not what you did. It's who they are. By Robert A. Heinlein Dictatorships Recently Ideologies Sharks Problem