Wednesday, December 12, 2007

RAH Quotes

Apparently I read a lot of Heinlein growing up. Here are quotes from some of his that I think are nifty (from his wiki article)

An armed society is a polite society.

Must be a yearning deep in human heart to stop other people from doing as they please. Rules, laws - always for other fellow. A murky part of us, something we had before we came down out of trees, and failed to shuck when we stood up. Because not one of those people said: Please pass this so that I won't be able to so something I know I should stop. Nyet, tovarishchee, was always something they hated to see neighbors doing. Stop them for their own good.
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
(1966)

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.

A zygote is a gamete's way of producing more gametes. This may be the purpose of the universe.

Being intelligent is not a felony. But most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor.

Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks.

If the universe has any purpose more important than topping a woman you love and making a baby with her hearty help, I've never heard of it.

It is better to copulate than never.

Of all the strange "crimes" that human beings have legislated out of nothing, "blasphemy"is the most amazing — with "obscenity" and "indecent exposure" fighting it out for second and third place.

There is no conclusive evidence of life after death. But there is no evidence of any sort against it. Soon enough you will know. So why fret about it?
Time Enough for Love (1973)

Women seem to have almost unlimited capacity for forgiveness. (Since it is usually a man who needs forgiveness, this must be a racial survival trait.)
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls
(1985)



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