"It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so, and will follow it by suppressing opposition, subverting all education to seize early the minds of the young, and by killing, locking up, or driving underground all heretics."

Seems especially appropriate in light of current events, don't it? The more things change...

Yep, you should move to Utah.  That way you would get to see some of this nonsense 1st hand.

- CD

I am going to Salt Lake in June, in fact the week after the BRC.
I heard about the booze thing. What else is there?

Here are few others he wrote for Lazarus Long

"Never underestimate the power of human stupidity"
"Place your clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark."
"An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications."                    
"You live and learn. Or you don't live long."
"Get a shot off fast. This upsets him long enough to let you make your second shot perfect."
"Always tell her she is beautiful, especially if she is not."

I sure do miss buying a new Heinlein novel.  When I was a kid I used to buy them at the drug store for $0.35 a piece.

He started getting a bit strange in his last books, though.  Living forever and sex seemed to be on his mind a lot. [;)]

Come to think of it, those are on my mind a lot, too! [shock]

I enjoyed his books growing-up.  I think you are correct he got weirder in his old age.

Top Three

1) Starship Troopers
2) JOB
3) Doorway in the Sky

"When a society requires ID it's time to move".

Heinlein also said: "An Armed Society is a Polite Society."

I miss him...I used to drive by his house in Bonney Doon (in the Santa Cruz Mountains)..he had a sign posted on his chain link fence saying - "Surviving Trespassers will be Prosecuted."

My Favorite Books are:
1.) Starship Troopers
2.) The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
3.) Farmer in the Sky
4.) Tunnel in the Sky
5.) Citizen of the Galaxy
6.) Stranger in a Strange Land
7.) The Number of the Beast

Don't forget "Farnham's Freehold" and "The Green Hill's of Earth"

Most people forget, or don't know, he wrote kid's books too.
Have space suit will travel.
Star beast
and quite a few others I enjoyed as a kid.
If you haven't read them, pick them up. Not as racey as his grown up stuff, but just as fun.

I miss him too. [>(]  I loved all of his novels as I was growing up.  My favorites were "Farmer in the Sky", and "The Past Through Tomorrow".

 Vulcan94

"Glory Road" was my favorite, I think Star was the first women I ever fell in love with.

But "Starship Troopers" I have read the most. I can't wait for someone to re-make the movie with real power armour.

So what religion did the Nazis and the Communists practice?

"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. Specialization is for insects."

I love Heinlein.  I have been able to gather a complete collection of all his books and short stories.  My favorite is "If This Goes On".  Starship Trooper is second and then Farnhams Freehold.  Glory Road was great also.  Like SS109 I fell in love with Star.  I think them Lord killed a kitten or two with me thinking about Star after the lights went out.

Another quote:

"Beware of strong drink! It can make you shoot at tax collectors -- and miss!!"

His books for kids were great. I can recall sitting on my grandfather's porch reading his novels on a summer evening. Then, after dark, staring at the stars and wondering if we humans would ever explore them.

docmac

In the eight grade I read "Have Space Suit, Will Travel" and decided on the spot I was going to go to M.I.T. when I graduated high school, like the main character, Kip.  Amazingly, I did indeed go there.  But it wasn't much fun.  Between the Vietnam war, protests, drugs, and all the other craziness of that era, it was not a happy time for me and I ended up dropping out.  Since then, I'll bet I have read that book 25 times. [:)]

Heinlein was the greatest.  I just wish someone would make a movie from one of his novels and not butcher it beyond recognition.  "Starship Troopers" the movie was an abomination.

Statism. Same verve, same fanaticism, same spin.

Haven't read them all but have enjoyed those I did. Stranger in a Strange Land got to me the most.....

Religion is not responsible for ALL the hate and intolerance in the world, just most of it.  Been that way for millenia.

Farnham's Freehold Trading Post & Restaurant

American Vodka. Corn Bar, Liquor. Applejack

Pure SpringWater   Corned Beef & Potatos, Steak & Potatos   Grade A Milk

Day Nursery   Jerked Quisling(by the neck) FREE KITTENS!!

!!!Any BOOK Accepted as Cash!!!!!

Farnam School of Contract Bridge
Lessons by Arrangement. Social Eve Weds

WARNING!!!

Ring Bell. Wait. Advance With Your Hands Up. Stay On Path. Avoid Mines. We Lost Three Customers Last Week. We Can't Afford To lose YOU!

Hugh & Barbara Farnan & Fam. Freeholders

More Lazarus quotes:

"Go to Hell!" or other insult direct is all the answer a snoopy question rates.

Natural laws have no pity.

Yeild to temptation; it may not pass your way again

Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors - and miss.

It is better to copulate than never.

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

Everybody lies about sex.

Taxes are not levied for the benefit of the taxed.

Rub her feet.

I believe the operating term would be "Cult".
The Nazis were just that.

Heinlein had severe narrowing of the arteries to his brain, which lightly starved his brain of oxygen for quite a while.  His writing output went to zero for a long time.  Then one day he had a TIA (transient ischemic attack, stroke precursor), went in to see a physician, and found out why he hadn't been able to think clearly for so long.

After they cleared out the arteries, he began writing again.  His post-surgery books were indeed pretty odd.  I think the first one was the weirdest, and that the later ones became slightly more normal, but. . . .

If you want quotes from the man. Go get the book "Time Enough For Love" pages 240-251, 346-353. He already took his choice sayings and listed them.

I typed them up in old WordStar on my first computer. I just finally converted it to text... 18 pages, 648 paragraphs, 976 lines, 4714 words, 21748 characters, 31557 characters (with spaces)

Great list. Here are some random selections:
                               *
It's amazing how much "mature wisdom" resembles being to tired.
                               *

Everything is excess!  To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites.  Moderation is for monks.
                               *

Sex should be friendly.  Otherwise stick to mechanical toys; it's more sanitary.

                               *

When a place gets crowded enough to require ID's, social collapse is not far away.  It is time to go elsewhere.  The best thing about space travel is that it made it possible to go elsewhere.

                               *

Stupidity cannot be cured with money, or though education, or by legislation.  Stupidity is not a sin, the victim can't help being stupid.   But stupidity is the only universal capital crime;  the sentence  is death, there is no appeal, and execution is  carried out automatically and without pity.

                               *

The second most preposterous notion is that copulation is inherently sinful.

                               *

Never try to outstubborn a cat.
                               *

"Go to hell!!" or other insult direct is all the answer a snoopy question rates.

                               *

Do not confuse "duty" with what other people expect of you; they
are utterly different.  Duty is debt you owe to yourself to
fulfill  obligations you have assumed voluntarily.   Paying  that
debt  can entail anything from years of patient work  to  instant
willingness  to  die.   Difficult it may be, but  the  reward  is
self-respect.

But there is no reward at all for doing what other people expect
of you, and to do so is not merely difficult, but impossible.  It
is  easier to deal with a footpad than it is with the  leech  who
wants  "just a few minutes of your time, please-this  won't  take
long."  Time is your total capital, and the minutes of your  life
are  painfully few.  If you allow yourself to fall into the  vice
of agreeing to such requests, they quickly snowball to the  point
where  these parasites will use up 100 percent of  your  time-and
squawk for more!

So learn to say NO-and to be rude about it when necessary.

Otherwise you will not have time to carry out your duty, or to do
you own work, and certainly no time for love and happiness.  The
termites will nibble away your life and leave non of it for you.

(This rule does not mean that you must not do a favor for a
friend, or even a stranger.  But let the choice be yours. Don't
do it because it is "expected" of you.)

Try this link

http://www.freedomsnest.com/qheinlein.html

Sounds like Islam to me.

Interesting to find so many individuals who were also Heinlein fans.... when I was growing up only myself and a couple of buds were the only ones in our home town who knew who Heinlein was..... but of course, we did our part to spread his works!!!  Considering his writings, it is not to surprising to find such a gathering here, however. [8D]

Heinlein is primarily responsible for my religious and political corruption.  I started reading him when I was quite young.

My favorite book has not been mentioned in this thread:  [i][u]The Moon is a Harsh Mistress[/i][/u]

I've read several copies to pieces.  I have, I think, a complete collection of every novel he wrote, and most of his short stories.  Takes up quite a bit of shelf space.

I was not as enamored of his last works.  It seemed obvious that he was more interested in tying everything up neat & tidy before he died that he didn't put as much original thought into his work.  But I sure do miss him.

(Edited to add:)
While I really like many of the quotes posted, this one's been missed, and it's one of my favorites:

I got to thinking, I should post the text document. So here it is,

[url=http://members.cox.net/dirk.brewer/misc/HEINLEIN.TXT]Heinlein Quotes (right click and save as)[/url]

This is a MS-DOS text file, you can edit and format as you wish. Only CR/LF's are at end of paragraphs (WordWrap helps for readability).

{edited for URL}

thanks Guz!!!!

OK guys since your science fiction fans I have been racking my brain trying to remember a book I read as a kid.  It was one of the first books I read after they switched from clay tablets to paper.  I would appreciate it if someone can help with the title.

Story line was a young boy/man preparing to become a "Wagon Master" or sum such for colonist.  He could not be certified until he completed his training and took the final exam on this special dangerous planet.  You were allowed to take any weapons nukes whatever you thought you needed to protect yourself.  He decided to only bring three (?) knives.  Many adventures happened.  Others came with nukes etc and they were wiped out.  He survived you using his mind to solve problems.  He was the only one that passed the test.  

I thought it was "Wagon Master to the stars" but reading the outline it did not sound the same.  I have not found that book to compare the story.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
[thinking]

fal

I think it was Doorway in the Sky.

Jimbeam

Your welcome!

"Tunnel in the Sky"

"Rod Walker didn't know where he had been sent... he only knew he somehow had to survive!"

One of my favorites. A nova blocks the recovery of the students on their "survival" final exam, and they have to survive for years, instead of a week on a hostile planet. Rod and the others form a society and everything, while waiting to be rescued...


Scott

Some other favorites of mine:

Methuselah's Children
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Doorway into Summer
"All You Zombies" (The BEST short story about time paradox EVER)
"Waldo" (Where we get the word "waldo" for a mechanical arm device)
Stranger in a Strange Land
Anything with Lazarus Long


Scott

Beware the STOBOR! [:)]

From "Red Planet":

"..it is not the natural limitations of this globe I object to; it is the pantywaist nincompoops who rule it-These rediculous regulations offend me. That a free citizen should have to go before a committeee, hat in hand, and pray for permission to bear arms-Fantastic! Arm your daughter, sir, and pay no attention to petty bureaucrats."


Scott

Ever spell STOBOR backwards?  

There is a story to it.

Wow,

Just doing some research. Looks like the text document that I posted above is actually the "The Notebooks of Lazarus Long".

For the record, the "Notebooks" are contained in their entirety in the two "Intermission" chapters of Time Enough for Love, which is what I typed up!

I just hope that I don't get into trouble for doing that. I did put at the end where it came from. So download it before someone complains ;)