491 quotes
In the army it takes an eight-man working party to help a brass hat blow his nose.
The Puppet Masters (1951)
Stupid fools look just as good as military geniuses until the fighting starts.
Friday (1982)
An erection is the most flattering compliment a man can pay to an older woman.
To Sail Beyond the Sunset (1987)
“Mr. Jones, has it ever occurred to you, the world being what it is, that women sometimes prefer not to appear too bright?”
Starman Jones (1953)
People who are busy and happy don’t write diaries; they are too busy living.
Friday (1982)
“Happiness,” Jubal stated, “lies in being privileged to work hard for long hours in doing whatever you think is worth doing.”
To Sail Beyond the Sunset (1987)
A man who marries at my age isn’t taking a wife, he’s indenturing a nurse.
I Will Fear No Evil (1970)
Random numbers are to a computer what free will is to a human being.
The Number of the Beast (1980)
A man who bets on greed and dishonesty won’t be wrong too often.
The Number of the Beast (1980)
Luck is a bonus that follows careful planning—it’s never free.
Off the Main Sequence (2005)
Precedent is merely the assumption that somebody else, in the past with less information, nevertheless knows better than the man on the spot.
Space Cadet (1948)
Man is not a rational animal; he is a rationalizing animal.
Tunnel in the Sky (1955)
Billiards will never replace sex, or even tomatoes.
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls (1985)
History is never surprising—after it happens.
The Past Through Tomorrow (1967)
“Die trying” is the proudest human thing.
Have Space Suit—Will Travel (1958)
A skillful Artist in shapes and appearances does no more than necessary to create His effect.
Job: A Comedy of Justice (1984)
Evolution is a process that never stops. Baboons who fail to exhibit moral behavior do not survive; they wind up as meat for leopards.
The Pragmatics of Patriotism (1973)
For dying is not to be feared—it is the final comfort. As we all learn, eventually.
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls (1985)
There is no way that writers can be tamed and rendered civilized. Or even cured.
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls (1985)
Shrinks are the blind leading the blind; even the best of them are dealing from a short deck. Anyone who consults a shrink should have his head examined.
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls (1985)