The most important lesson in the writing trade is that any manuscript is improved if you cut away the fat.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
Remember this: once the human race is established on more than one planet and especially, in more than one solar system, there is no way now imaginable to kill off the human race.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Humanity's survival is secured by its expansion beyond Earth.
In this quote, Heinlein suggests that once humans inhabit multiple planets and solar systems, the extinction of the human race becomes nearly impossible. The idea of diversifying our presence in the universe acts as a safeguard against existential threats that could wipe out humanity on a single planet, thus highlighting the importance of space exploration and colonization for ensuring our long-term survival.
Themes
HumanitySurvivalSpaceExplorationColonizationFuture
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about the importance of space exploration, this quote could underscore the necessity of venturing beyond Earth.
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.
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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.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
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