Robert A. Heinlein: Trending quotes

“There is nothing in this world so permanent as a temporary emergency.”

“The Old Man’s unique gift was the ability to reason logically with unfamiliar, hard-to-believe facts as easily with the commonplace. Not much, eh? Most minds stall dead when faced with facts which conflict with basic beliefs; “I-just-can’t-believe-it” is all one word to highbrows and dimwits alike.”

“Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.”

“If a thing's worth doing, it's worth overdoing. (Lazarus Long)”

“A brute kills for pleasure. A fool kills from hate.”

“Happiness consists in getting enough sleep. Just that, nothing more.”

“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.”

“Do not handicap your children by making their lives easy.”

“A generation which ignores history has no past —and no future.”

“There is no such thing as luck; there is only adequate or inadequate preparation to cope with a statistical universe.”

“Sin lies only in hurting other people unnecessarily. All other "sins" are invented nonsense. (Hurting yourself is not sinful -- just stupid.)”

“How can I possibly put a new idea into your heads, if I do not first remove your delusions?”

“Age is not an accomplishment, and youth is not a sin.”

“When it comes down to it, the root cause of war is always population pressure no matter what other factors enter in.”

“When I don’t understand, I have an unbearable itch to know why.”

“People who go broke in a big way never miss any meals. It is the poor jerk who is shy a half slug who must tighten his belt.”

“All men are created unequal.”

“It may be better to be a live jackal than a dead lion, but it is better still to be a live lion. And usually easier.”

“You live and learn. Or you don't live long.”