--- title: "4 Butterfly Quotes By Robert A. Heinlein" description: "4 Butterfly quotes by Robert A. Heinlein. Plus more from Robert A. Heinlein and more Butterfly sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/610/robert-a-heinlein-209_butterflies_butterflies-are-self-propelled-flowers-4_400925.jpg" --- > [Butterflies are self propelled flowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/butterflies-are-self-propelled-flowers/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/610/robert-a-heinlein-209_butterflies_butterflies-are-self-propelled-flowers-4_400925.jpg) > [Little girls, like butterflies, need no excuse,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/little-girls-like-butterflies-need-no-excuse/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/robert-a-heinlein-209_baby-girl_little-girls-like-butterflies-need-no-ex_613516.jpg) > [Minimize your therbligs until it becomes automatic; this doubles your effective lifetime - and thereby gives time to enjoy butterflies and kittens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/minimize-your-therbligs-until-it-becomes-automatic-this-doubles-your/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea8/robert-a-heinlein-209_automatic_minimize-your-therbligs-until-it-becomes_630395.jpg) > [Butterflies are not insects,' Captain John Sterling said soberly. 'They are self-propelled flowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/butterflies-are-not-insects-captain-john-sterling-said-soberly-they/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffb/robert-a-heinlein-209_butterflies_butterflies-are-not-insects-captain-john_714346.jpg) ## Other authors on Butterfly - [Matshona Dhliwayo 10 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly/matshona-dhliwayo/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b025/author-zhuangzi-97412.jpg) Zhuangzi 8 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly/zhuangzi/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b011/author-haruki-murakami-40784.jpg) Haruki Murakami 7 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly/haruki-murakami/) - [Trina Paulus 6 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly/trina-paulus/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b001/author-rabindranath-tagore-383.jpg) Rabindranath Tagore 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly/rabindranath-tagore/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b018/author-nathaniel-hawthorne-70480.jpg) Nathaniel Hawthorne 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly/nathaniel-hawthorne/) - [Melanie Dobson 5 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly/melanie-dobson/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b015/author-laini-taylor-58360.jpg) Laini Taylor 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly/laini-taylor/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b001/author-antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174.jpg) Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) ## More by Robert A. Heinlein > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Ninety percent of all human wisdom is the ability to mind your own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/ninety-percent-of-all-human-wisdom-is-the-ability-to-mind-your-own/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [If we blow ourselves up we will do it by misapplication of science; if we manage to keep from blowing ourselves up, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/if-we-blow-ourselves-up-we-will-do-it-by-misapplication-of-science-if/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Women will forgive anything. Otherwise, the race would have died out long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/women-will-forgive-anything-otherwise-the-race-would-have-died-out/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Most neuroses and some psychoses can be traced to the unnecessary and unhealthy habit of daily wallowing in the troubles and sins of five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/most-neuroses-and-some-psychoses-can-be-traced-to-the-unnecessary-and/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [No statement should be believed because it is made by an authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/no-statement-should-be-believed-because-it-is-made-by-an-authority/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“Some people are ants by nature; they have to work, even when it’s useless. Few people have a talent for constructive laziness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/some-people-are-ants-by-nature-they-have-to-work-even-when-it-s/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“The instinct to survive is human nature itself, and every aspect of our personalities derives from it. Anything that conflicts with the survival instinct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-instinct-to-survive-is-human-nature-itself-and-every-aspect-of/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“I tried to dig out of the computer a call directory for Luna. But it was still sulking. I could not get it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/i-tried-to-dig-out-of-the-computer-a-call-directory-for-luna-but-it/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“this has more aspects than a cat has hair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/this-has-more-aspects-than-a-cat-has-hair/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Never own more than you can carry in both hands at a dead run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/never-own-more-than-you-can-carry-in-both-hands-at-a-dead-run/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“In Wilson's scale of evaluations breakfast rated just after life itself and ahead of the chance of immortality." ~ By His Bootstraps / Robert A. Heinlein”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/in-wilson-s-scale-of-evaluations-breakfast-rated-just-after-life/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/ignorance-is-curable-stupid-is-forever/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly/robert-a-heinlein/#itemlist", "name": "4 Butterfly Quotes By Robert A. Heinlein", "numberOfItems": 4, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Butterflies are self propelled flowers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert A. 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