“Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Never try to outstubborn a cat.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“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.
But there is no reward at all for doing what other people expect of you, and to do so is not merely difficult, but impossible. It is easier to deal with a footpad than it is with the leech who wants "just a few minutes of your time, please—this won't take long." Time is your total capital, and the minutes of your life are painfully few. If you allow yourself to fall into the vice of agreeing to such requests, they quickly snowball to the point where these parasites will use up 100 percent of your time—and squawk for more!
So learn to say No—and to be rude about it when necessary. Otherwise you will not have time to carry out your duty, or to do your own work, and certainly no time for love and happiness. The termites will nibble away your life and leave none of it for you.
(This rule does not mean that you must not do a favor for a friend, or even a stranger. But let the choice be yours. Don't do it because it is "expected" of you.)”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done, and why. Then do it.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“The most preposterous notion that Homo sapiens has ever dreamed up is that the Lord God of Creation, Shaper and Ruler of all the Universes, wants the saccharine adoration of His creatures, can be swayed by their prayers, and becomes petulant if He does not receive this flattery. Yet this absurd fantasy, without a shred of evidence to bolster it, pays all the expenses of the oldest, largest, and least productive industry in all history.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“A society that gets rid of all its troublemakers goes downhill.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Delusions are often functional. A mother's opinions about her children's beauty, intelligence, goodness, et cetera ad nauseam, keep her from drowning them at birth.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“A generation which ignores history has no past — and no future.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Be wary of strong drink, it can make you shoot at the tax collector...and miss.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Live and learn, or you don't live long.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“A woman is not property, and husbands who think otherwise are living in a dreamworld.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There may be no candidates and no measures you want to vote for ... but there are certain to be ones you want to vote against. In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you will rarely go wrong.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“I came, I saw, she conquered."
The original Latin seems to have been garbled.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Certainly the game is rigged. Don't let that stop you; if you don't bet you can't win.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Cheops' Law: Nothing ever gets built on schedule or within budget.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Take big bites. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Animals can be driven crazy by placing too many in too small a pen. Homo sapiens is the only animal that voluntarily does this to himself.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Courage is the complement of fear. A man who is fearless cannot be courageous. [He is also a fool.]”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Never tease an old dog; he might have one bite left.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Work is not an end in itself; there must always be time enough for love.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“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?”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“The correct way to punctuate a sentence that states: "Of course it is none of my business, but -- " is to place a period after the word "but." Don't use excessive force in supplying such a moron with a period. Cutting his throat is only a momentary pleasure and is bound to get you talked about.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Sin lies only in hurting other people unnecessarily. All other "sins" are invented nonsense. (Hurting yourself is not sinful -- just stupid.)”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Heroism' often consists in keeping your head in an emergency and doing the best you can with what you have instead of panicking and being shot in the tail. People who fight this way win more battles than do intentional heroes; a glory hound often throws away the lives of his mates as well as his own.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“Every general prohibition creates its bootleggers.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
“A community where everyone is a ruthless murderer, with handy access to death-dealing devices, is a very polite community.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, quote from Time Enough for Love
Robert A. Heinlein
Born place: in Butler, MO, The United States
Born date July 7, 1907
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“That was what we'd finally been forced to confront: if our relationship was based on forbiddenness, what would happen when it was no longer forbidden?”
― Elliot Wake, quote from Unteachable
“The company I’ve been keeping doesn’t seem to satisfy me anymore,” he whispers in my ear.”
― Katy Evans, quote from Manwhore
“...I bet that Judy Garland would 'ave snapped out of it if she'd 'ad me in 'er ear and not all those poofs telling 'er she was a tragic 'eroine.”
― Robert Bryndza, quote from Coco Pinchard's Big Fat Tipsy Wedding
“But do you know," said Andy, "how beautiful and delicate a man's heart is when he is happy for the first time? It is like the thin ice that has imprisoned those beautiful young plants that are released when the ice thaws.”
― Jane Bowles, quote from Two Serious Ladies
“I don't think there's anything wrong with borrowing someone else's faith to get you through until you get enough on your own.”
― Stefne Miller, quote from Collision
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