Happy Birthday, Robert A. Heinlein

The great writer would have been 104 years old if he were still alive. And to those of us that loved Heinlein and his work, it seemed like he would never die. Heinlein dying? Unthinkable.

I remember it clearly. May 8th, 1988. I was living with a woman. Information didn't get around like it does today. We had a subscription to Time Magazine, and I carried the current issue into the bathroom for my evening constitutional. I came out with tears in my eyes and the woman asked what the matter was. 'Heinlein's dead", I choked out. "Oh", she said, unconcerned.

Oh indeed. I felt like my father had died. It didn't seem possible, as if some cataclysmic change had occurred in the universe. I almost wouldn't have been surprised if the sun didn't rise the next day.

I learned so much from Heinlein's writing. More so than from my father or any teacher I ever had. The best of his stories contained pragmatic philosophies and life-lessons that taught me about the importance of love, duty, honor, courage. Though I doubt that I could ever have held a candle to one of Heinlein's great protagonists.

Robert A. Heinlein was many things, but he was really full of great quotes. That's what I'm going to focus on in this little tribute.

Heinlein is responsible for my all-time favorite quotation. I use it and think about it all the time. I think it ought to be on all of our currency.

A skunk is better company than one who takes pride in being 'frank' in social situations.

Some people I know who boast about their tactlessness should take that one to heart.

A character in one of Heinlein's books Farmer in the Sky, to be exact), makes this statement when talking to his son about being that broke the rules and got away with it:

We're dealing with human being here, not saints .

That simple statement has helped me immeasurably in keeping patient and developing tolerance with people who don't always do things the way I think they should.

Many of these quotes are from The Notebooks of Lazarus Long, but they seem to be culled direct from Heinlein's own personality. They're all words to live by.


A society that gets rid of all its troublemakers goes downhill.

Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.

One of the sanest, surest, and most generous joys of life comes from being happy over the good fortune of others.

The universe never did make sense; I suspect it was built on government contract.

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.


You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having both at once.


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.

Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done, and why. Then do it.

I never learned from a man who agreed with me.

I've found out why people laugh. They laugh because it hurts so much . . . because it's the only thing that'll make it stop hurting.

Goodness without wisdom always accomplishes evil.

The first principle of freedom is the right to go to hell in your own handbasket.

I could go on and on. If you've read this far and enjoyed the quotes, but haven't yet sampled Heinlein's fiction, you should. Regardless of how you feel (or think you feel) about science fiction. I cannot recommend his books across the board. Some of the post-Stranger in a Strange Land novels are hard going. Even though I love Farnham's Freehold.

I can recommend without reservation books like The Door Into Summer, The Puppet Masters (far better than the film adaptation), Starman Jones, Farmer in the Sky, and any of his short story collections.

For now, I wish Robert A. Heinlein a happy birthday. I imagine him looking down at us, frowning sadly about the state of the world. You know what? We have no one to blame but ourselves. After all, he did warn us.