Some of the greatest wisdom I have ever found: Robert Heinlein
Here is some of the best quotes that hit me as so clear, and common sense I could never quite see how people did not read and heed:
OK, folks, time for some of Robert Heinleins greatest observations:
“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Friday
“There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
“You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having both at once.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
“Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love
“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
And the best:
“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land
OK, folks, time for some of Robert Heinleins greatest observations:
“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Friday
“There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
“You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having both at once.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
“Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love
“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
And the best:
“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land
"TANSTAAFL"!
On the other hand, TEFL and later books have a number of gay and bi characters.
Take Back Your Government!: A Practical Handbook for the Private Citizen Who Wants Democracy to Work was an early work by Robert A. Heinlein. It was published in 1992 after his death in 1988.
Originally entitled How to Be a Politician, the book was written in 1946 but never found a publisher, perhaps due to excess candor. Like so many of Heinlein's works, he wrote what he knew. In this case, he based the work on his experience in California politics in the 1930s, particularly his efforts on behalf of Upton Sinclair's End Poverty in California (EPIC) movement and Sinclair's attempt to become the Democratic nominee for governor of California in 1934.
The book contains annotations by Jerry Pournelle, who had little time to finish, polish, or fact-check, because the publishers demanded the work be available during Ross Perot's campaign for president.[citation needed]
A new edition was published in 2012, with an introduction by Heinlein biographer William H. Patterson, Jr.
2 Editions:
August, 1992, Baen Books, paperback, 304pp, ISBN 0-671-72157-7
January, 2012, Phoenix Pick, trade paperback, 246pp, ISBN 978-1-61242-061-5
I have reserved one on Amazon as I try out my new found Kindle app on my phone...If RAH wrote it, it probably is useful...
I also love Heinlein's outlook on individual freedoms and the rights of men to make their own decisions and determine their respective fates.