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Robert A. Heinlein

Robert A. Heinlein Quotes

Science writer

Robert A. Heinlein was an American science fiction writer, hailed as a master in the field of science fiction. His works have had a profound impact on the development of science fiction literature, with classics such as 'Starship Troopers' and 'The Time Machine'.

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All Men Ifs People Humans Way Knows Doe Religion Thinking Long Should Self Stranger In A Strange Land Mind Force Law May Want Sex Moral

Famous Robert A. Heinlein Quotes

“Reason is poor propaganda when opposed by the yammering, unceasing lies of shrewd and evil and self-serving men.”

Men Self Reason Lying Evil Poor Propaganda Serving Self Serving

Book:Assignment in Eternity

Source: Assignment in Eternity

“The extremely tiny fraction who think regularly, accurately, creatively, and without self-delusion - in the long run, these are the only people who count.”

People Thinking Long Self Running Tiny Delusion Long Runs Fractions Self Delusion

Author:Robert A. Heinlein

“Son, the phrase is self-contradictory; "sense" is never "common".”

Self Common Son Common Sense Phrases Contradictory

Book:Time Enough for Love

Source: Time Enough for Love

“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.”

People Self Religion Opinion Hell Atheism Judgment Saved Arrogance Almighty Congratulations Assured Loaded Hymns Cozy Judgment Day

Book:Stranger in a Strange Land

Source: Stranger in a Strange Land

“What is supposed to happen in a democracy is that each sovereign citizen will always vote in the public interest for the safety and welfare of all. But what does happen is that he votes his own self-interest as he sees it... which for the majority translates as 'Bread and Circuses'.”

Doe Self Happens Interest Democracy Citizens Vote Safety Majority Bread Welfare Translate Sovereign Circus Self Interest Public Interest Bread And Circuses

Author:Robert A. Heinlein

“A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity.”

Source: Time Enough for Love

“The basic of all morality is duty, a concept with the same relation to group that self-interest has to individual.”

Self Individual Interest Groups Duty Morality Concepts Relation Self Interest Survival Instinct

Author:Robert A. Heinlein

“All my enemies are self-appointed.”

Author:Robert A. Heinlein

“Do not confuse "duty" with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect.”

People Years May Different Self Dies Difficult Duty Rewards Patient Debt Obligation Instant Self Respect Willingness

Book:Time Enough for Love

Source: Time Enough for Love

“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.”

Self Term Color Wind Assuming Males Contradiction Pacific Roger Pacifist Jolly

Book:Time Enough for Love

Source: Time Enough for Love

“Butterflies are self propelled flowers.”

Self Flower Butterfly

Author:Robert A. Heinlein

“His older self had taught his younger self a language which the older self knew because the younger self, after being taught, grew up to be the older self and was, therefore, capable of teaching.”

Self Language Teaching Taught Grew Grew Up Capable Younger Self

Book:The Green Hills of Earth and The Menace from Earth

Source: The Green Hills of Earth and The Menace from Earth

“Art is the process of evoking pity and terror, which is not abstract at all but very human. What the self-styled modern artists are doing is a sort of unemotional pseudointellectual masturbation . . . whereas creative art is more like intercourse, in which the artist must seduce -- render emotional -- his audience, each time.”

Humans Art Self Artist Process Audience Creative Modern Emotional Art Is Terror Pity Abstract Intercourse Masturbation Seducing Creative Art Unemotional

Book:Stranger in a Strange Land

Source: Stranger in a Strange Land

“We learned not to waste ammo even on warriors except in self-protection”

Self Waste Protection Warrior Self Protection Ammo

Book:Starship Troopers

Source: Starship Troopers

“The Universe was a silly place at best...but the least likely explanation for it was the no-explanation of random chance, the conceit that abstract somethings 'just happened' to be atoms that 'just happened' to get together in ways which 'just happened' to look like consistent laws and some configurations 'just happened' to possess self-awareness and that two 'just happened' to be the Man from Mars and a bald-headed old coot with Jubal inside.”

Source: Stranger in a Strange Land

“Butterflies are not insects,' Captain John Sterling said soberly. 'They are self-propelled flowers.”

Said Self Flower Butterfly Captains Insects Sterling

Author:Robert A. Heinlein

“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.”

Knows World Love Firsts Self Happiness Spiritual Spirituality Walks Learning And Love Blessed Command Happiness And Love

Book:Stranger in a Strange Land

Source: Stranger in a Strange Land

“...I am opposed to all attempts to license or restrict the arming of individuals... I consider such laws a violation of civil liberty, subversive of democratic political institutions, and self-defeating in their purpose.”

Self Law Political Purpose Individual Liberty Gun Institutions Democratic Gun Control License Violation Civil Liberties Subversive Political Institutions

Author:Robert A. Heinlein

“Self awareness is NOT just a bunch of amino acids bumping together.”

Inspirational Self Motivational Funny Together Sports Awareness Self Awareness Bunch Funny Inspirational Acid Amino Acids Stranger In A Strange Land

Book:Stranger in a Strange Land

Source: Stranger in a Strange Land

“Beware of altruism. It is based on self-deception, the root of all evil.”

Self Religion Evil Liberty Morality Roots Deception Altruism Self Deception

Book:Time Enough for Love

Source: Time Enough for Love

“Never appeal to a man's 'better nature.' He may not have one. Invoking his self-interest gives you more leverage.”

Men Giving May Self Interest Nature History Appeals Self Interest

Book:Time Enough for Love

Source: Time Enough for Love

“My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I hadn’t fallen into the fatal folly of reading anything I could lay hands on. With just a touch more self confidence and a liberal helping of ignorance I could have been a famous evangelist.”

Ifs Has Beens Made Self Helping Hands Reading Ignorance Lays Folks Self Confidence Fallen Folly Preacher Could Have Been Margins Evangelists

Author:Robert A. Heinlein

“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!”

Ifs Want Feels Stills Self Roots Deception Motive Tempted Self Deception

Book:Time Enough for Love

Source: Time Enough for Love

“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.”

Ifs Men Way Self Able Interest Acting Ethics Work Out Pockets Self Interest Don't Trust

Book:Time Enough for Love

Source: Time Enough for Love

About the Author

Born: July 7, 1907
Died: May 8, 1988
Known for: Science writer
Quotes: 747

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Men Ifs People Humans Way Knows Doe Religion Thinking Long Should Self Stranger In A Strange Land Mind Force Law May Want Sex Moral

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