QuoteProject
An armed society is a polite society.
Robert A. Heinlein
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

A society where people are armed creates a greater respect for personal boundaries and civility.

This quote suggests that when individuals have the means to defend themselves, they are more likely to behave courteously towards one another. The underlying idea is that the potential for self-defense can lead to a more respectful and civil society, as people recognize the seriousness of interactions and the consequences of conflict.

Themes

SocietyPoliticsRespectCivilitySelf-Defense

In practice

Example use cases

In a debate about gun control, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of personal security.

More from Robert A. Heinlein

The most important lesson in the writing trade is that any manuscript is improved if you cut away the fat.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
Democracy is a poor system of government at best; the only thing that can honestly be said in its favor is that it is eight times as good as any other method the human race has ever tried.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
Long human words (the longer the better) were easy, unmistakable, and rarely changed their meanings . . . but short words were slippery, unpredictable, changing their meanings without any pattern.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
Progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
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.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity.
Robert A. HeinleinRead

Similar quotes

There are many in this old world of ours who hold that things break about even for all of us. I have observed, for example, that we all get the same amount of ice. The rich get it in the summertime and the poor get it in the winter.
Bat MastersonRead
To see a world in a grain of sand_x000D_ And a heaven in a wild flower,_x000D_ Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,_x000D_ And eternity in an hour.
William BlakeRead
Civilization depends on morality.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine.
Patti SmithRead
To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.
Yann MartelRead
Where eldest Night And Chaos, ancestors of Nature, hold Eternal anarchy amidst the noise Of endless wars, and by confusion stand; For hot, cold, moist, and dry, four champions fierce, Strive here for mast'ry.
John MiltonRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Robert A. Heinlein | QuoteProject