Robert A. Heinlein Quotes - Page 19

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• 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.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Writing, Done, Authority

  "The Rolling Stones". Book by Robert A. Heinlein, 1952.

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• Boats and ships are female because they are beautiful, lovable, expensive and unpredictable.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Beautiful, Female, Ships

  "I Will Fear No Evil" by Robert A. Heinlein, Ace Books, (p. 452), 1987.

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• Stinky says women should be obscene but not heard.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Should, Heard, Obscene

  Stranger in a Strange Land ch. 35 (1961).

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• 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.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Fighting, Order, Survival

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• Nothing of value is free. Even the breath of life is purchased at birth only through gasping effort and pain.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Pain, Effort, Birth

  Robert A. Heinlein (1987). “Starship Troopers”, p.76, Penguin

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• Certainly the game is rigged. Don't let that stop you; if you don't bet you can't win.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Life And Love, Winning, Games

  Robert A. Heinlein (1987). “Time Enough for Love”, p.221, Penguin

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• Budget the luxuries first.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Luxury, Firsts, Budgets

  Robert A. Heinlein (1987). “Time Enough for Love”, p.322, Penguin

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• 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.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Children, Men, Long

  "The Pragmatics of Patriotism". Address at the U.S. Naval Academy, April 5, 1973.

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• To get anywhere, or even to live a long time, a man has to guess, and guess right, over and over again, without enough data for a logical answer.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Time, Men, Data

  Robert A. Heinlein (1987). “Time Enough for Love”, p.24, Penguin

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• History is never surprising after it happens.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Surprising, Happens

  Robert A. Heinlein (2010). “The Green Hills of Earth and The Menace from Earth”, p.189, Baen Publishing Enterprises

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• Never own more than you can carry in both hands at a dead run.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Running, Hands

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• By cultivating the beautiful we scatter the seeds of heavenly flowers, as by doing good we cultivate those that belong to humanity.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Beauty, Beautiful, Uplifting

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• 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. And this had been a very short word.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Brother, Should Have, Knives

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• 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 friendship--indeed 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.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Men, Sea, Giving

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• The killer looked up as the bullet hit him. He looked as if he were puzzled by some strange occurence, being too freshly dead to be aware of it.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Bullets, Killers, Strange

  Robert A. Heinlein (2013). “The Man Who Sold the Moon and Orphans of the Sky”, p.89, Baen Publishing Enterprises

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• Every law that was ever written opened up a new way to graft.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Law, Way, New Ways

  Robert A. Heinlein (1981). “Red Planet”, Del Rey

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• Man can be chained, but he cannot be domesticated.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Men, Society, Chained

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• 'Savage' describes a cultural condition, not a degree of intelligence.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Degrees, Savages, Evolution

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• When you're rich, you don't have friends; you just have endless acquaintances.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Rich, Endless, Acquaintance

  Robert A. Heinlein (1987). “I Will Fear No Evil”, p.309, Penguin

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• I wanted the feeling of romance and the sense of wonder I had known as a kid. I wanted the world to be what they had promised me it was going to be - instead of the tawdry, lousy fouled-up mess it is.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Kids, Romance, Feelings

  Robert A. Heinlein (2007). “Glory Road”, p.38, Macmillan

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• The purpose of war is to support your government's decisions by force.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  War, Government, Decision

  Robert A. Heinlein (1987). “Starship Troopers”, p.54, Penguin

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• A fake fortuneteller can be tolerated. But an authentic soothsayer should be shot on sight. Cassandra did not get half the kicking around she deserved.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Sight, Fake, Kicking

  Robert A. Heinlein (1987). “Time Enough for Love”, p.222, Penguin

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• 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.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Sports, War, Distance

  Robert A. Heinlein (1987). “Time Enough for Love”, p.228, Penguin

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• Always cut the cards...and smile when you lose.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Cutting, Cards, Losing

  Robert A. Heinlein (1987). “Time Enough for Love”, p.37, Penguin

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• Anything which is physically possible can always be made financially possible; money is a bugaboo of small minds.

  Robert A. Heinlein

  Inspirational, Engineering, Mind

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