Heinlein Love Quotes & Sayings

Love is a that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own ... Jealousy is a disease, love is a healthy condition. The immature mind often mistakes one for the other, or assumes that the greater the love, the greater the jealousy — Robert A. Heinlein

[J]uvenile delinquent' is a contradiction in terms. 'Delinquent' means 'failing in duty.' But duty is an adult virtue
indeed a juvenile becomes an adult when, and only when, he acquires a knowledge and duty and embraces it more than the self-love he was born with. — Robert A. Heinlein

Sex without love is merely healthy exercise. — Robert A. Heinlein

The only constant thing in these shifting, fairy-chess worlds is human love. — Robert A. Heinlein

Sovereign," like "love," means anything you want it to mean; it's a word in dictionary between "sober" and "sozzled. — Robert A. Heinlein

She taught me to love by loving me, and I learned - rather slowly; I wasn't too good a pupil, being set in my ways and lacking her natural talent. But I did learn. Learned that supreme happiness lies in wanting to keep another person safe and warm and happy, and being privileged to try. — Robert A. Heinlein

And you, Edward? Is there something in this world for which you'd surrender your life and your soul, if need be? You need not answer - I saw in your face and in your heart, last night, as you bent over the bed. Good art, good art - both of you. I have found several sorts of good and original art in this world, enough to justify encouraging your Artist to try again. But there was so much that was bad, poorly drawn and amateurish, that I could not find it in me to approve the work as a whole until I encountered and savored this, the tragedy of human love." Cynthia looked at him wildly. "Tragedy? you say 'tragedy'?" He looked at her with eyes that were not pitying, but serenely appreciative. "What else could it be, my dear? — Robert A. Heinlein

Till the stars grow old and our sun grows cold? Will you fight for us, lie for us, love us - and let us love you? — Robert A. Heinlein

On the steps of the Federal Building we ran into Carmencita Ibanez, a classmate of ours and one of the nice things about being a member of a race with two sexes. — Robert A. Heinlein

The word 'love' designates a subjective condition in which the welfare and happiness of another person are essential to one's own happiness. — Robert A. Heinlein

Almost everything about a human creature is ridiculous, except its ability to suffer bravely and die gallantly for whatever it loves and believes in. The validity of that belief, the appropriateness of that love, is irrelevant; it is the bravery and the gallantry that count. — Robert A. Heinlein

The more you love, the more you can love
and the more intensely you love. Nor is there any limit on how many you can love. If a person had time enough, he could love all of that majority who are decent and just. — Robert A. Heinlein

Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own. — Robert A. Heinlein

Property is not the natural and obvious and inevitable concept that most people think it is. — Robert A. Heinlein

I told you that 'juvenile delinquent' is a contradiction in terms. 'Delinquent' means 'failing in duty.' But duty is an adult virtue - indeed a juvenile becomes an adult when, and only when, he acquires a knowledge of duty and embraces it as dearer than the self-love he was born with. There never was, there cannot be a 'juvenile delinquent.' But for every juvenile criminal there are always one or more adult delinquents - people of mature years who either do not know their duty, or who, knowing it, fail. — Robert A. Heinlein

We have such a theory now; we can solve any moral problem, on any level. Self-interest, love of family, duty to country, responsibility toward the human race - we are even developing an exact ethic for extra-human relations. But all moral problems can be illustrated by one misquotation: 'Greater love hath no man than a mother cat dying to defend her kittens.' Once you understand the problem facing that cat and how she solved it, you will then be ready to examine yourself and learn how high up the moral ladder you are capable of climbing. — Robert A. Heinlein

Two bodies attract each other directly as the product of their masses and inversely as the square of their distance.' It sounds like a rule for simple physical facts, does it not? Yet it is nothing of the sort; it was the poetical way the old ones had of expressing the rule of propinquity which governs the emotion of love. The bodies referred to are human bodies, mass is their capacity for love. Young people have a greater capacity for love than the elderly; when thy are thrown together they fall in love, yet when they are separated they soon get over it. 'Out of sight, out of mind.' It's as simple as that. But you were seeking some deep meaning for it. — Robert A. Heinlein

First you must learn to control your self. The rest follows. Blessed is he who knows himself and commands himself, for the world is his and love and happiness and peace walk with him wherever he goes. — Robert A. Heinlein

It is impossible for a man to love his wife whole heartedly without loving all women somewhat. I suppose that the converse must be true of women. — Robert A. Heinlein

A zygote is a gamete's way of producing more gametes. This may be the purpose of the universe. — Robert A. Heinlein

Love your country, but never trust its government. — Robert A. Heinlein

Money is the sincerest of all flattery. Women love to be flattered. So do men. — Robert A. Heinlein

I hate to tell you this, but you are just stupid and eager and sincere enough to make the kind of officer that men love to follow into some silly predicament. — Robert A. Heinlein

There are hidden contradictions in the minds of people who "love Nature" while deploring the "artificialities" with which "Man has spoiled Nature.'" The obvious contradiction lies in their choice of words, which imply that Man and his artifacts are not part of "Nature" : but beavers and their dams are. — Robert A. Heinlein

The Truth is simple but the Way of Man is hard. First you must learn to control your self. The rest follows. Blessed is he who knows himself and commands himself, for the world is his and love and happiness and peace walk with him wherever he goes. Thou art God. Know that and the Way is opened. I love you. Thou art God.
-Valentine Michael Smith — Robert A. Heinlein

Love is what still goes on when you're not horny. — Robert A. Heinlein

Mom and Dad were bibliophiles. Dad shared his father's love of westerns, Mom favored the likes of Zelazny and Heinlein, Howard and Burroughs. We owned several hundred books stored in trunks that comprised our portable library. — Laird Barron

A juvenile becomes an adult when, and only when, he acquires a knowledge of duty and embraces it as dearer than the self-love he was born with. — Robert A. Heinlein

I'll give you an exact definition. When the happiness of another person becomes as essential to yourself as your own, then the state of love exists. — Robert A. Heinlein

May you live as long as you wish and love as long as you live. — Robert A. Heinlein

Sheffield had decided, centuries back, that the saddest thing about ephemerals was that their little lives rarely held time enough for love.) "Oh, — Robert A. Heinlein

The saddest thing about ephemerals was that their little lives rarely held time enough for love. — Robert A. Heinlein

Jealousy is a disease, love is a healthy condition. The immature mind often mistakes one for the other, or assumes that the greater the love, the greater the jealousy - in fact, they are almost incompatible; one emotion hardly leaves room for the other. — Robert A. Heinlein

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 your own work, and certainly no time for love and happiness. The termites will nibble away your life and leave none of it for you. — Robert A. Heinlein

The instinct to survive is human nature itself, and every aspect of our personalities derives from it. Anything that conflicts with the survival instinct acts sooner or later to eliminate the individual and thereby fails to show up in future generations ... A scientifically verifiable theory of morals must be rooted in the individual's instinct to survive
and nowhere else!
and must correctly describe the hierarchy of survival, note the motivations at each level, and resolve all conflicts.
We have such a theory now; we can solve any moral problem, on any level. Self-interest, love of family, duty to country, responsibility toward the human race ...
The basis of all morality is duty, a concept with the same relation to group that self-interest has to individual. — Robert A. Heinlein

I was not offended, my love. An insult is like a drink; it affects one only if accepted. And pride is too heavy baggage for my journey ... — Robert A. Heinlein

Work is not an end in itself; there must always be time enough for love. — Robert A. Heinlein

If the universe has any purpose more important than topping a woman you love and making a baby with her hearty help, I've never heard of it. — Robert A. Heinlein