But how, from the viewpoint of a Martian, did man differ from other animals? Would a race that could levitate and god knows what else be impressed by engineering? If so would the Aswan Dam or a thousand miles of coral reef win first prize? Man's self awareness, sheer conceit. There was no way to prove that sperm whales and sequoias were not philosophers and poets exceeding any human merit?

— Robert A. Heinlein

But one way or another competing and weeding takes place. . . Or a race goes downhill.

— Robert A. Heinlein

Butterflies are not insects,' Captain John Sterling said soberly. 'They are self-propelled flowers.

— Robert A. Heinlein

Butterflies are self-propelled flowers.

— Robert A. Heinlein

But when they began handing out doctorates for comparative folk dancing and advanced fly-fishing, I became to stink in’ proud to use the title. I won’t touch watered whiskey and I take no pride in watered-down degrees.

— Robert A. Heinlein

Churches thrive on martyrdom and persecution.

— Robert A. Heinlein

Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get.

— Robert A. Heinlein

Come Judgment Day, we may find that Mumbo Jumbo the God of the Congo was the Big Boss all along.

— Robert A. Heinlein

Consider the black widow spider. It's a timid little beastie, useful and, for my taste, the prettiest of the arachnids, with its shiny, patent-leather finish and its red hourglass trademark. But the poor thing has the fatal misfortune of possessing enormously too much power for its size. So everybody kills it on sight.

— Robert A. Heinlein

Could dump two Chinese down in one of our maria, and they would get rich selling rocks to each other while raising twelve kids. Then a Hindu would sell retail stuff he got from them wholesale--below cost at a fat profit. We got along.

— Robert A. Heinlein