The most important lesson in the writing trade is that any manuscript is improved if you cut away the fat.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
Dad claims that library science is the foundation of all sciences just as math is the key -- and we will survive or founder, depending on how well the librarians do their jobs. Librarians didn't look glamorous to me but maybe Dad had hit on a not very obvious truth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the significance of library science in supporting all other fields of knowledge, highlighting the vital role librarians play in society.
Robert A. Heinlein suggests that library science serves as a crucial foundation for all scientific disciplines, much like mathematics. He reflects on the often-overlooked importance of librarians, proposing that the survival of knowledge and education depends on their capability to manage and disseminate information effectively, which may not always be appreciated by society.
Themes
LibraryScienceEducationLibrariansKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech to a group of educators, you might say, 'As Robert A. Heinlein pointed out, the work of librarians is foundational in our pursuit of knowledge.'
More from Robert A. Heinlein
All quotes →An armed society is a polite society.
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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.
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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
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letters are not the first, but the last step in the progression from barbarism to civilisation.
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I think by far the most important bill in our whole code is that for the diffusion of knowlege among the people. no other sure foundation can be devised for the preservation of freedom, and happiness.
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There's something missing about how we're informing the youngsters coming along about what matters in the world. We teach them the numbers and the letters, but we fail to communicate the importance of our connection to the living world.
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Northwestern's alumni list is truly impressive. This university has graduated best-selling authors, Olympians, presidential candidates, Grammy winners, Peabody winners, Emmy winners, and that's just me!
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