The most important lesson in the writing trade is that any manuscript is improved if you cut away the fat.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
Heroism' often consists in keeping your head in an emergency and doing the best you can with what you have instead of panicking and being shot in the tail. People who fight this way win more battles than do intentional heroes; a glory hound often throws away the lives of his mates as well as his own.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Heroism is about maintaining composure in crises and doing your best with available resources.
In this quote, Heinlein emphasizes that true heroism is characterized by calmness and resourcefulness during emergencies rather than reckless bravery. He criticizes those who seek glory over the welfare of their companions, implying that genuine heroes are those who prioritize practical action and teamwork over personal accolades.
Themes
HeroismCourageEmergencyCalmnessTeamworkResourcefulness
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a motivational speech about leadership in crisis situations.
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.
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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.
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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.
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