Robert A. Heinlein: Trending quotes

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Robert A. Heinlein: 1114 quotes68 likes

“Life is short, but the years are long.”

Robert A. Heinlein book Methuselah's Children

Part of the secret "call and response" codewords by which members of the long-lived Howard Families can identify others:
: Life is short.
But the years are long.
Not while the evil days come not.
Methuselah's Children (1958)

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

Robert A. Heinlein book The Man Who Sold the Moon

The Man Who Sold the Moon (p. 100)
Short fiction, The Past Through Tomorrow (1967)

“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.”

Robert A. Heinlein book The Puppet Masters

Source: The Puppet Masters (1951), Chapter 3 (p. 20)

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

Robert A. Heinlein Time Enough for Love

Source: Time Enough for Love

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

Robert A. Heinlein Time Enough for Love

Variant: Take big bites. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
Source: Time Enough for Love

“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.”

Robert A. Heinlein Time Enough for Love

Time Enough for Love (1973)

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

Robert A. Heinlein Time Enough for Love

Source: Time Enough for Love (1973)

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

Robert A. Heinlein book Have Space Suit—Will Travel

Source: Have Space Suit—Will Travel (1958), Chapter 2

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

Robert A. Heinlein Time Enough for Love

Source: Time Enough for Love

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

Robert A. Heinlein book Life-Line

Life-Line (p. 15)
Short fiction, The Past Through Tomorrow (1967)

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

Robert A. Heinlein book Time for the Stars

Source: Time for the Stars (1956), Chapter 4, “Half a Loaf” (p. 44)

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

Robert A. Heinlein book Have Space Suit—Will Travel

Source: Have Space Suit—Will Travel (1958), Chapter 7

“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.”

Robert A. Heinlein Time Enough for Love

Source: Time Enough for Love

“All men are created unequal.”

Robert A. Heinlein Time Enough for Love

Time Enough for Love (1973)

“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.”

Robert A. Heinlein Time Enough for Love

Time Enough for Love (1973)

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

Robert A. Heinlein Time Enough for Love

Source: Time Enough for Love (1973)