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Robert A. Heinlein

Robert A. Heinlein Quotes

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Famous Robert A. Heinlein Quotes

“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.”

ShouldTryingHumansLongReligionEasyWaterKnownForeverChangedBrotherShould HavePatternsLiftsKnivesUnpredictableSlipperyMartiansShould Have KnownShort WordsShould Have Known Better
Author:Robert A. Heinlein
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“Those who refuse to support and defend the state have no claim to protection by that state. Killing an anarchist or a pacifist should not be considered "murder" in a legalistic sense. The offense against the state, if any, should be "Using deadly weapons within city limits," or "Creating a traffic hazard," or other misdemeanor.”

IfsShouldWarStatesPeaceCitiesSupportLimitsCreatingWeaponsClaimsMurderKillingRefuseProtectionTrafficOffenseAnarchistHazardsPacifistMisdemeanors
Author:Robert A. Heinlein
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“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.”

MenLoveInspirationalShouldIdeasHumorFunnyUsedHumanityWomenAnimalDogPleaseCatPetRelaxMy DogKittenAnniversaryCanineDog LoverHuman AnimalDog TrainingPoodlesHumans And AnimalsPuppy DogKittiesCat And DogPet DogDog LoveDog RescueGreat DogFelinePoodle DogsFunny CatPuppies And DogsCute DogGreat PetMan And DogFunny DogInspirational DogPurringCat DogTwo DogsI Love My DogPurring CatsFunny PuppyCat LoverCat LoveStranger In A Strange LandShort DogPuppies And LoveFaithful DogsInspirational CatDog HeavenHeaven And DogsCute CatLoving DogStray DogsRescue CatsPet NamesStray Cats
Author:Robert A. Heinlein
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“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.”

LifeGivingShouldWritingHumansProblemMotivationalAbleScienceOrderDiesCultureFightingHuman BeingsKnowledgeLearningPlansAdviceDyingDesignBuildingWallBalanceComfortComputerProgramAccountsManagementAtheistSolveBonesShipsCooksMealsInsectsEquationsBadassInvasionSonnetButchersDiapersHogManureSpecializationTastyStranger In A Strange LandRenaissance Man
Author:Robert A. Heinlein
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“Whenever women have insisted on absolute equality with men, they have invariably wound up with the dirty end of the stick. What they are and what they can do makes them superior to men, and their proper tactic is to demand special privileges, all the traffic will bear. They should never settle merely for equality. For women, "equality" is a disaster.”

MenShouldEndsCan DoSpecialBearsDemandAbsolutesSticksPrivilegeWoundsDisasterSuperiorsDirtySettlingTrafficTacticsWomen EqualityNever Settle
Book:Time Enough for Love
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“English is the largest of human tongues, with several times the vocabulary of the second largest language -- this alone made it inevitable that English would eventually become, as it did, the lingua franca of this planet, for it is thereby the richest and most flexible -- despite its barbaric accretions . . . or, I should say, because of its barbaric accretions. English swallows up anything that comes its way, makes English out of it.”

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Author:Robert A. Heinlein
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“Our behavior is different. How often have you seen a headline like this?--TWO DIE ATTEMPTING RESCUE OF DROWNING CHILD. If a man gets lost in the mountains, hundreds will search and often two or three searchers are killed. But the next time somebody gets lost just as many volunteers turn out. Poor arithmetic, but very human. It runs through all our folklore, all human religions, all our literature--a racial conviction that when one human needs rescue, others should not count the price.”

IfsMenNeedsShouldHumansChildrenTwoDifferentRunningDiesTurnsThreeNextLiteratureLostPoorMountainBehaviorConvictionRescueNext TimeVolunteerAttemptingDrowningHeadlinesFolkloreArithmeticHuman NeedsSearchers
Author:Robert A. Heinlein
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“At least once every human should have to run for his life, to teach him that milk does not come from supermarkets, that safety does not come from policemen, that 'news' is not something that happens to other people. He might learn how his ancestors lived and that he himself is no different--in the crunch his life depends on his agility, alertness, and personal resourcefulness.”

PeopleShouldHumansDoeDifferentMightHappensRunningTeachDependsNewsShould HaveSafetyMilkAncestorPolicemenSupermarketsAgilityAlertnessCrunchResourcefulness
Author:Robert A. Heinlein
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