"Well, in the first place an armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life. For me, politeness is a sine qua non of civilization. That’s a personal evaluation only. But gunfighting has a strong biological use. We do not have enough things to kill off the weak and the stupid these days. But to stay alive as an armed citizen a man has to be either quick with his wits or with his hands, preferably both. It’s a good thing."
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Science fiction authors from the United StatesNovelists from the United StatesEssayists from the United StatesShort story writers from the United StatesScreenwriters from the United States
Original Language: English
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Chapter 15, “Probably a blind alley—”, p. 147
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein
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Robert A. Heinlein
writer, screenwriter, literary critic
1907 – 1988 · United States
Robert Anson Heinlein (7 July 1907 – 8 May 1988) was one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of science fiction of the 20th Century.
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