Favourite Heinlein Quotes

[TTBRAHWTMG]

Count on Heinlein to say it better than I ever could. He plants the lines in my head, and portions of them stick forever, but I butcher the artistry of them and retain just the gist of it. Not sure about The Cat Who...haven't read that in ages, and seems I've heard it more recently...maybe Strangers? reread that one a little more recently...I'll defer to you on the source though!

Added: Oops...just remembered that I spent that night reviewing hundreds of Heinlein aphorisms from all his works. That's probably while it feels a little fresh. With my experience with you so far Pyan...I'd put money on TCWWTW now.

 

[Pyan]

(Colonel Colin Campbell) 'Pixel! Leave that insect alone!'
'Butterflies are not insects' Captain John Sterling said soberly. 'They are self-propelled flowers. The Lady Hazel taught me that many years ago'

TCWWTW, Ch 29, page 398, NEL, 1986 edition.

The ending of this book upset me for many years, until the publication of To Sail Beyond The Sunset, which cleared it all up - but I wish I knew why he decided on such a downbeat finish.

 

[Liz Pf]

TCWWTW, Ch 29, page 398, NEL, 1986 edition.

The ending of this book upset me for many years, until the publication of To Sail Beyond The Sunset, which cleared it all up - but I wish I knew why he decided on such a downbeat finish.

I was very annoyed with the ending ... by this time Heinlein was using far too much "Deus ex machina" (if I'm remembering the term correctly). The ending was very downbeat, but given unlimited time travel and parallel universes, I knew nobody would ever be harmed, and everyone would be rescued, and live happily forever after.

To Sail Beyond the Sunset suffered from the same thing ...

--Liz

 

[Finnien]

I gotta go with "Kiss girls all you want to - It beats the hell out of card games."

The moderation quote is also a long-standing favorite. Ialso have a bit of fondness for "Sit back down — and for God's sake quit trying to be as nasty as I am; you don't have my years of practice. Now let me get something straight: you are not in my debt. You can't be. Impossible — because I never do anything I don't want to do. Nor does anyone, but in my case I am always aware of it." (Had to look this one up, I'm forever misquoting it.)

Favorite quote on the subject of art: "What modern artists do is pseudo-intellectual m***********." paired with "Obscurity is the refuge of the incompetent."

And finally: "I'm a professional bad example."

 

[TTBRAHWTMG]

"Sit back down — and for God's sake quit trying to be as nasty as I am; you don't have my years of practice. Now let me get something straight: you are not in my debt. You can't be. Impossible — because I never do anything I don't want to do. Nor does anyone, but in my case I am always aware of it." (Had to look this one up, I'm forever misquoting it.)

I love Jubal!

 

[Mollygurl]

I know I mentioned this on another post TT but since this is the appropriate thread; I'll add it here as well:

On the Writing of History
History has the relation to truth that theology has to relegion - i.e. none to speak of.

--Lazarus Long in Time Enough For Love

I also love Jubal. I'm sure that most of what he says in Strangers is quota-ble.

 

[Mirannan]

3 cats in the house. Each born on the same day as each of my kids. Pixel, September, and Petronious (Pete). The first and third should be obvious...September because my middle kid was born September 11, 2001, and we just felt we had to mark the day some how.

I'll personally vouch for Heinlein's comments about not being able to ignore a cat who wants through a door! Wasn't this the book where Heinlein said "Where there are cats, there is civilization"?

Ailurophiles! Geeze! Thanks for saving me looking it up! Stretching, stretching!

I rather like cats. Unfortunately, I can't live with them; I'm violently allergic, to the extent that before visiting my best friend (who houses several of them) I have to take antihistamines.

 

[Southern Geologist]

"Sit back down — and for God's sake quit trying to be as nasty as I am; you don't have my years of practice. Now let me get something straight: you are not in my debt. You can't be. Impossible — because I never do anything I don't want to do. Nor does anyone, but in my case I am always aware of it."

I love this one. Here is another favorite:

"What are the facts? Again and again--what are the facts? Shun wishful thinking, ignore divine revelation, forget 'what the stars foretell,' avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind the unguessable 'verdict of history'--what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? You pilot always into an unknown future; facts are your single clue."

 

[Mirannan]

I love this one. Here is another favorite:

"What are the facts? Again and again--what are the facts? Shun wishful thinking, ignore divine revelation, forget 'what the stars foretell,' avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind the unguessable 'verdict of history'--what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? You pilot always into an unknown future; facts are your single clue."

Yep. Which, in another RH theme, is the distinction between real science and pseudosciences such as economics.

I rather like the RH theme of Economics 101, in one of his books (I forget which): Economics 101 is a 10-day fast. Which neatly underscores the fundamental purpose of all economic systems.

 

[Southern Geologist]

I just came across this one that I love. Perhaps because I can relate to it...

"I am an almost extinct breed, an old-fashioned gentleman- which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-bitch when it suits me."

 

[j d worthington]

Yup. That has always been one of my favorite Heinlein quotes. Again, as you say, probably because I can relate....

 

[JimC]

Ginny with her last cat, Snowy.

 

[Bick]

How is that a quote?

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Perhaps not a quote, but I am happy JimC posted this here.
Terrific picture, JimC, what a beautiful cat, and Ginny had a terrific smile, CC

Also, as I read back, a number of posts here do not include quotes.