Since when was an emotional argument won by logic.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: One liners, Arguments
If it can’t be expressed in figures, it’s not science it’s opinion.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Scientists, Science, Opinion
The greatest productive force is human selfishness.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: One liners, Selfishness
No storyteller has ever been able to dream up anything as fantastically unlikely as what really does happen in this mad Universe.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Universe, The Universe
I’ve never understood how God could expect His creatures to pick the one true religion by faith – it strikes me as a sloppy way to run a universe.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Faith
Never try to outstubborn a cat.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Cats
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 pursuing pure research with no discernible result. 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.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Happiness
A touchstone to determine the actual worth of an “intellectual” – find out how he feels about astrology.
—Robert A. Heinlein
No matter where or what, there are makers, takers, and fakers.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: People
A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Self Confidence, Confidence, Jealousy
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.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Sin
Being intelligent is not a felony, but most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Thinking
Always listen to the experts. They’ll tell you what can’t be done and why. Then do it.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Experts, Professionalism, General, Advice
Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Happiness, Love
An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Manners
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. Mighty little force is needed to control a man whose mind has been hoodwinked; contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, – not anything – you can’t conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Oppression
History does not record anywhere or at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff, most people do have a religion and spend time and money on it and seem to derive considerable pleasure from fiddling with it.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Religion
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.
—Robert A. Heinlein
To get anywhere, or even 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
Topics: Chance
May you live as long as you wish and love as long as you live.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Living
Never worry about theory as long as the machinery does what it’s supposed to do.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Worry
No statement should be believed because it is made by an authority.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Authority, Control
Human beings hardly ever learn from the experience of others. They learn; when they do, which isn’t often, on their own, the hard way.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Experience
Never make your appeal to a man’s better nature; he may not have one. Always make your appeal to his self-interest.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Better, Nature, Rest
Most people can’t think, most of the remainder won’t think, the small fraction who do think mostly can’t do it very well. The extremely tiny fraction who think regularly, accurately, creatively, and without self-delusion—in the long run, these are the only people who count.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Thought
Ninety percent of all human wisdom is the ability to mind your own business.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Wisdom
The Earth is just too small and fragile a basket for the human race to keep all its eggs in it.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: World
Age is not an accomplishment, and youth is not a sin.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Youth
Belief gets in the way of learning.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Belief
I don’t see how an article of clothing can be indecent. A person, yes.
—Robert A. Heinlein
Topics: Perspective
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
- Ray Bradbury American Science-Fiction Writer
- Robert Anton Wilson American Polymath
- Raymond Chandler American Novelist
- Isaac Asimov American Novelist, Critic, Popular Scientist
- Ursula K. Le Guin Science-fiction writer
- Orson Scott Card American Author
- Andre Norton American Science Fiction Writer
- William Saroyan American Playwright, Novelist
- Philip K. Dick American Writer
- Kurt Vonnegut American Novelist
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