Beware of altruism. It is based on self-deception, the root of all evil. Robert A. Heinlein More Quotes by Robert A. Heinlein More Quotes From Robert A. Heinlein Faith is intellectual laziness. Robert A. Heinlein intellectual-laziness laziness intellectual Morals - all correct moral laws - derive from the instinct to survive. Moral behavior is survival behavior above the individual level. Robert A. Heinlein moral-behavior survival law In a society in which it is a moral offense to be different from your neighbor your only escape is to never let them find out. Robert A. Heinlein tolerance moral different You can go wrong by being too skeptical as readily as by being too trusting. Robert A. Heinlein skeptical trust I think perhaps of all the things a police state can do to its citizens, distorting history is possibly the most pernicious. Robert A. Heinlein police citizens thinking History does not record anywhere or at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Robert A. Heinlein records atheism doe High Frontier places a bullet-proof vest on our bare chest. High Frontier is as non-aggressive as a bullet-proof vest. There is no way to kill anyone with High Frontier - all that High Frontier can do is to keep others from killing us. Robert A. Heinlein bullets war peace The commonest weakness of our race is our ability to rationalize our most selfish purposes. Robert A. Heinlein selfish weakness race A slave cannot be freed, save he do it himself. Nor can you enslave a free man; the very most you can do is kill him! Robert A. Heinlein slave can-do men The trouble with conspiracies is that they rot internally. Robert A. Heinlein conspiracy trouble Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man must develop himself; if he has them forced down him, he will vomit them out. Robert A. Heinlein loyalty responsibility men The extremely tiny fraction who think regularly, accurately, creatively, and without self-delusion - in the long run, these are the only people who count. Robert A. Heinlein self running thinking Of all the nonsense that twists the world, the concept of 'altruism' is the worst. People do what they want to, every time. If it pains them to make a choice - if the choice looks like a 'sacrifice' - you can be sure that it is no nobler than the discomfort caused by greediness... the necessity of deciding between two things you want when you can't have both. Robert A. Heinlein sacrifice pain two Remember this: once the human race is established on more than one planet and especially, in more than one solar system, there is no way now imaginable to kill off the human race. Robert A. Heinlein space race way Who is more real? Homer or Ulysses? Shakespeare or Hamlet? Burroughs or Tarzan? Robert A. Heinlein ulysses real writing Daughters can spend ten percent more than a man can make in any usual occupation. That’s a law of nature, to be known henceforth as ‘Harshaw’s Law. Robert A. Heinlein daughter law men Never crowd youngsters about their private affairs - sex especially. When they are growing up, they are nerve ends all over, and resent (quite properly) any invasion of their privacy. Oh, sure, they'll make mistakes - but that's their business, not yours. (You made your own mistakes, did you not?) Robert A. Heinlein growing-up business sex The average bloke . . . hates and fears all freedom, not only for others but for himself, and stamps it out wherever possible. Robert A. Heinlein stamps hate average There are only five things really worth drawing; four of them are pretty girls and the fifth is cats. Robert A. Heinlein drawing cat girl Magic is not science, it is a collection of ways to do things ways that work but often we don't know why. Robert A. Heinlein collections magic way
