"Precedent is merely the assumption that somebody else, in the past with less information, nevertheless knows better than the man on the spot."

Robert A. Heinlein Literature See all quotes by Robert A. Heinlein →

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More by Robert A. Heinlein

“Matt, you are suffering from a disease of youth—you expect moral problems to have nice, neat, black-and-white answers.”

“Clark just looked bored and contemptuous and said nothing, because Clark would not bother to interfere with Armageddon unless there was ten percent in it for him.”

“Learning isn’t a means to an end; it is an end in itself.”

“I used to wonder what it was like to be rich. Now I am and it turns out to be mostly headaches.”

“He seeks order, not truth. Suppose truth defies order, will he accept it? Will you? I think not.”

“Is it not better to be in ignorance than to believe falsely?”

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"A royal connoisseur Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar’s tryst with music began with western music, of which he was deeply knowledgeable on many levels. The Maharaja was a gifted pianist. He had nurtured hopes…"

— Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar

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"In ancient Rome, the gladiators went into the arena with these words on their lips: let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. Today, all of you young athletes are in the arena. …"

— Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Politics1921–2009

#knowledge