Quotes by Robert Heinlein

“A poet who reads his own verse in public may have other nasty habits.”

“A government-supported artist is an incompetent whore! Robert A”

“When one teaches, two learn.”

“If you would know a man, observe how he treats a cat.”

“No matter where or what, there are makers, takers, and fakers.”

“A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.”

“Always listen to experts. Theyll tell you what cant be done and why. Then do it.”

“But goodness alone is never enough. A hard cold wisdom is required, too, for goodness to accomplish good. Goodness without wisdom invariably accomplishes evil.”

“Learning isnt a means to an end; it is an end in itself.”

“Human beings hardly ever learn from the experience of others. They learn; when they do, which isnt often, on their own, the hard way.”

“Jealousy is a disease, love is a healthy condition. The immature mind often mistakes one for the other, or assumes that the greater the love, the greater the jealousy -- in fact, theyre almost incompatible; one emotion hardly leaves room for the other. Both at once can produce unbearable turmoil...”

“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.”

“When any government, or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, this you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motive.”

“How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven.”

“Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done. One could write a history of science in reverse by assembling the solemn pronouncements of highest authority about what could not be done and could never happen.”

“History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff, most people do have a religion and spend time and mo”

“I dont see how an article of clothing can be indecent. A person, yes.”

“To get anywhere, or even live a long time, a man has to guess, and guess right, over and over again, without enough data for a logical answer.”

“Taxes are not levied for the benefit of the taxed.”

“Do steers sign treaties with meat packers? Robert A”