Robert A. Heinlein · 276 pages
Rating: (22.9K votes)
“Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation.”
“Some people insist that 'mediocre' is better than 'best.' They delight in clipping wings because they themselves can't fly. They despise brains because they have none.”
“Money problems can always be solved by a man not frightened by them. ”
“We’re simply trying to survive—and the first principle of survival is not to worry about the impossible and concentrate on what’s possible.”
“Many problems can be solved by a man not frightened by them.”
“But when I see a black widow, I step on it; I don’t plead with it to be a good little spider and please stop poisoning people.”
“The best things in history are accomplished by people who get tired of being shoved around.”
“good luck’ follows careful preparation; ‘bad luck’ comes from sloppiness.”
“Getting a problem analyzed is two-thirds of solving it.”
“contrary to some opinions, it is better to be a dead hero than a live louse. Dying is messy and inconvenient but even a louse dies someday no matter what he will do to stay alive and he is forever having to explain his choice.”
“To die trying is the proudest humans thing.”
“I wonder how harmless such people are? To what extent civilization is retarded by the laughing jackasses, the empty-minded belittlers?”
“There is no such thing as luck. There is only adequate or inadequate preparation to cope with a statistical universe.”
“Daddy says that, in a dilemma, it is helpful to change any variable, then reexamine the problem.”
“I needed a space suit the way a pig needs a pipe organ.”
“I had never been much interested in Pluto, too many facts and too much isolation.”
“Some people insist that ‘mediocre’ is better than ‘best.’ They delight in clipping wings because they themselves can’t fly. They despise brains because they have none. Pfah!”
“When you read about chemistry and physics, you want to do them too.”
“Mother had the social restraint of an ambassador.”
“More depended on the student than on the school.”
“Everybody else specializes. Daddy knows everything, and he puts the pieces together.”
“The Mother Thing makes our world.”
“You can't believe what a lovely planet we have until you see her from outside.”
“Library science was the foundation of all sciences.”
“Dress yourself in heavy fishing waders, put on an overcoat and boxing gloves and a bucket over your head, then have somebody strap two sacks of cement across your shoulders and you will know what a space suit feels like under one gravity.”
“Find out what you want to do, then do it. Never talk yourself into doing something you don’t want. Think”
“Almost everybody I know has died,” Grandma said. “Bunch of wimps.”
“You know, it's not fair. Women are judged inferior until we prove ourselves, and men are judged superior until they prove what assholes they are.”
“Dancing wasn't quite the same as running . . . or any sport, for that matter. I didn't feel like I had a purpose, a goal. But after a while I let my mind relax and realized not everything had to have a point. Some things could just be for the fun of it. I looked over at Amber dancing next to me. She smiled, then hooked her arm in mine and twirled me around. My surroundings blurred and I soaked the moment in, deciding this night was something I could do again.”
“When we reached Pistillo’s office, I demanded to see him in my firmest voice. His secretary appeared unintimidated. She smiled with the genuineness of a politician’s wife and sweetly asked us to have a seat. Katy looked at me and shrugged. I would not sit. I paced like a caged lion, but I could feel my fury ebbing. Fifteen minutes later, the secretary told us that Assistant Director in Charge Joseph Pistillo—that was exactly how she said it, with the full title—would see us now. She opened the door. I blasted into the office. Pistillo”
“It was sink or swim for him—and happens he’s swimming.”
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