--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What did I want? I wanted a Roc's egg. I…" description: "\"“What did I want? I wanted a Roc's egg. I wanted a harem loaded with lovely odalisques less than the dust beneath my chariot wheels, the rust that neve..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/robert-a-heinlein-209_sense-of-wonder_what-did-i-want-i-wanted-a-roc-s-egg-i-w_2888638.jpg" --- # What did I want? I wanted a Roc's egg. I wanted a harem… ![“What did I want? I wanted a Roc's egg. I wanted a harem loaded with lovely odalisques less than the dust beneath my chariot wheels, the rust that never stained my sword,. I wanted raw red gold in nuggets the size of your fist and feed that lousy claim jumper to the huskies! I wanted to get u…” quote by Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/robert-a-heinlein-209_sense-of-wonder_what-did-i-want-i-wanted-a-roc-s-egg-i-w_2888638.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/robert-a-heinlein-209_sense-of-wonder_what-did-i-want-i-wanted-a-roc-s-egg-i-w_2888638.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/robert-a-heinlein-209_sense-of-wonder_what-did-i-want-i-wanted-a-roc-s-egg-i-w_2888638.jpg) > ““What did I want? I wanted a Roc's egg. I wanted a harem loaded with lovely odalisques less than the dust beneath my chariot wheels, the rust that never stained my sword,. I wanted raw red gold in nuggets the size of your fist and feed that lousy claim jumper to the huskies! I wanted to get u feeling brisk and go out and break some lances, then pick a like wench for my droit du seigneur--I wanted to stand up to the Baron and dare him to touch my wench! I wanted to hear the purple water chuckling against the skin of the Nancy Lee in the cool of the morning watch and not another sound, nor any movement save the slow tilting of the wings of the albatross that had been pacing us the last thousand miles. I wanted the hurtling moons of Barsoom. I wanted Storisende and Poictesme, and Holmes shaking me awake to tell me, "The game's afoot!" I wanted to float down the Mississippi on a raft and elude a mob in company with the Duke of Bilgewater and the Lost Dauphin. I wanted Prestor John, and Excalibur held by a moon-white arm out of a silent lake. I wanted to sail with Ulysses and with Tros of Samothrace and eat the lotus in a land that seemed always afternoon. I wanted the feeling of romance and the sense of wonder I had known as a kid. I wanted the world to be what they had promised me it was going to be--instead of the tawdry, lousy, fouled-up mess it is.”” [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A yearning for limitless adventure, wealth, romance, and mythic heroism, reflecting dissatisfaction with mundane reality. **In simple terms:** Desire for epic fantasies and escape from ordinary life. Key Takeaway Pursue wonder, not just routine. Themes adventure fantasy discontent heroism nostalgia Mood longing hopeful restless Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - travel - creative projects - personal growth - storytelling - risk taking Key Concepts mythic quests material desire romantic idealism Questions to Reflect On - What real goals can channel this yearning constructively? - How can you balance imagination with everyday duties? A Different Perspective Idealizing fantasy can ignore practical responsibilities and lead to perpetual dissatisfaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Did Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-want/) [Sense of wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-wonder/) [Thousand miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-miles/) [Wanted Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-feeling-1008915/) [Wanted Harem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-harem-4043756/) [Wanted Sail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-sail-2770109/) [Wench Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wench-wanted-4043757/) ## Related quotes > [“What did I want? I wanted a Roc's egg. I wanted a harem loaded with lovely odalisques less than the dust beneath my chariot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/what-did-i-want-i-wanted-a-roc-s-egg-i-wanted-a-harem-loaded-with-2/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [I wanted the feeling of romance and the sense of wonder I had known as a kid. I wanted the world to be what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/i-wanted-the-feeling-of-romance-and-the-sense-of-wonder-i-had-known/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [I wanted to sail when I was in grammar school and well remember memorizing the names of the sails from the Merriam-Webster's ponderous dictionary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-elliot/i-wanted-to-sail-when-i-was-in-grammar-school-and-well-remember/) [Jim Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-elliot/) > [Since I was 10 years old, I knew I wanted to sail around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-dekker/since-i-was-10-years-old-i-knew-i-wanted-to-sail-around-the-world/) [Laura Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-dekker/) > [I've always wanted to sail to the South Seas, but I can't afford it. What these men can't afford is not to go. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/i-ve-always-wanted-to-sail-to-the-south-seas-but-i-can-t-afford-it/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [My dad always wanted to sail. They lived on a boat for eight years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-skoll/my-dad-always-wanted-to-sail-they-lived-on-a-boat-for-eight-years/) [Jeffrey Skoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-skoll/) > [“The part that hurt the most was that no matter how upset he was, he still loved her and he wanted that feeling to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-marie/the-part-that-hurt-the-most-was-that-no-matter-how-upset-he-was-he/) [Bernadette Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-marie/) > [I alternate between feeling incredibly lucky that I've gotten away with almost everything I wanted to do, and feeling like I've been shafted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-toback/i-alternate-between-feeling-incredibly-lucky-that-i-ve-gotten-away/) [James Toback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-toback/) > [You know that melancholy feeling when you watch the end of a movie and you're crying - but also there is hope? I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-mark/you-know-that-melancholy-feeling-when-you-watch-the-end-of-a-movie/) [Amber Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-mark/) > ['Star Wars' came out when I was seven. It was so different from anything else, like peeking into the land of Oz. All you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-loeb/star-wars-came-out-when-i-was-seven-it-was-so-different-from-anything/) [Damian Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-loeb/) > [I missed so many opportunities along the way to do what I wanted to do because I didn't have the confidence to tell myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regis-philbin/i-missed-so-many-opportunities-along-the-way-to-do-what-i-wanted-to-2/) [Regis Philbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regis-philbin/) > [Growing up and being a kid, I knew that creativity was at the heart of what I wanted to do. I always had this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gethard/growing-up-and-being-a-kid-i-knew-that-creativity-was-at-the-heart-of/) [Chris Gethard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gethard/) > [He wanted that again, that feeling of standing with her against all odds and succeeding. He wanted it so bad, he was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/he-wanted-that-again-that-feeling-of-standing-with-her-against-all/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [“Did you ever get the feeling that you wanted to go, But still had the feeling that you wanted to stay, You knew it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-durante/did-you-ever-get-the-feeling-that-you-wanted-to-go-but-still-had-the/) [Jimmy Durante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-durante/) > [“That was bliss. Being cared for. Wanted. Feeling so necessary to someone’s existence that there was no place for the loneliness inside her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-miller/that-was-bliss-being-cared-for-wanted-feeling-so-necessary-to-someone/) [Julie Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-miller/) ## 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/) [Explore all 888 Robert A. Heinlein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## More Sense of wonder quotes > [Enter the writing process with a childlike sense of wonder and discovery. Let it surprise you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-ghigna/enter-the-writing-process-with-a-childlike-sense-of-wonder-and/) [Charles Ghigna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-ghigna/) > [It made me love talk that sought answers to questions that could help nobody, that could only keep alive in me that enthralling sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wright/it-made-me-love-talk-that-sought-answers-to-questions-that-could-help/) [Richard Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wright/) > [The need to eat, sleep and dry out plays havoc with your sense of wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/the-need-to-eat-sleep-and-dry-out-plays-havoc-with-your-sense-of/) [Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/) > [“we have given up our sense of wonder at secrets left to be discovered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/we-have-given-up-our-sense-of-wonder-at-secrets-left-to-be-discovered/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [I hope you never lose your sense of wonder. You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger. May you never take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ann-womack/i-hope-you-never-lose-your-sense-of-wonder-you-get-your-fill-to-eat/) [Lee Ann Womack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ann-womack/) > [Science arouses a soaring sense of wonder. But so does pseudoscience. Sparse and poor popularizations of science abandon ecological niches that pseudoscience promptly fills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/science-arouses-a-soaring-sense-of-wonder-but-so-does-pseudoscience/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“One of the most terrible losses man endures in his lifetime is not even noticed by most people, much less mourned. Which is astonishing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/one-of-the-most-terrible-losses-man-endures-in-his-lifetime-is-not/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [And sometimes it happened, for a time. That kind of love comes and goes and is hard to remember afterwards, like pain. You would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-sometimes-it-happened-for-a-time-that-kind-of-love-comes-and-goes/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“He had never dreamed anyone would ever care enough to venture into the darkness to pull him into the light. He felt bewildered and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-johansen/he-had-never-dreamed-anyone-would-ever-care-enough-to-venture-into/) [Iris Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-johansen/) > [Magicians lose the opportunity to experience a sense of wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/magicians-lose-the-opportunity-to-experience-a-sense-of-wonder/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [“The components of innocence - security, a sense of wonder, and optimism- are not just throwaway by-products of the ignorance of youth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-medved/the-components-of-innocence-security-a-sense-of-wonder-and-optimism/) [Diane Medved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-medved/) > [“There is also a dimension of patience which links it to a special reverence for life. Patience is a willingness, in a sense, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/there-is-also-a-dimension-of-patience-which-links-it-to-a-special/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [“The universe is a gigantic amusement park in which we can have a ride or two.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-emunds/the-universe-is-a-gigantic-amusement-park-in-which-we-can-have-a-ride/) [Stefan Emunds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-emunds/) > [“The Lightholders are holy and pure-spirited beings”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-marrain/the-lightholders-are-holy-and-pure-spirited-beings/) [J.L. Marrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-marrain/) > [All I care about really is writing something worthwhile for children, something that will engage them in some way and stimulates in them a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/all-i-care-about-really-is-writing-something-worthwhile-for-children/) [Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/) [Browse all 231 Sense of wonder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-wonder/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What did I want? I wanted a Roc's egg. I wanted a harem loaded with lovely odalisques less than the dust beneath my chariot wheels, the rust that never stained my sword,. I wanted raw red gold in nuggets the size of your fist and feed that lousy claim jumper to the huskies! I wanted to get u feeling brisk and go out and break some lances, then pick a like wench for my droit du seigneur--I wanted to stand up to the Baron and dare him to touch my wench! I wanted to hear the purple water chuckling against the skin of the Nancy Lee in the cool of the morning watch and not another sound, nor any movement save the slow tilting of the wings of the albatross that had been pacing us the last thousand miles. I wanted the hurtling moons of Barsoom. I wanted Storisende and Poictesme, and Holmes shaking me awake to tell me, \"The game's afoot!\" I wanted to float down the Mississippi on a raft and elude a mob in company with the Duke of Bilgewater and the Lost Dauphin. I wanted Prestor John, and Excalibur held by a moon-white arm out of a silent lake. I wanted to sail with Ulysses and with Tros of Samothrace and eat the lotus in a land that seemed always afternoon. I wanted the feeling of romance and the sense of wonder I had known as a kid. I wanted the world to be what they had promised me it was going to be--instead of the tawdry, lousy, fouled-up mess it is.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert A. Heinlein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/what-did-i-want-i-wanted-a-roc-s-egg-i-wanted-a-harem-loaded-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Sense of wonder" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/what-did-i-want-i-wanted-a-roc-s-egg-i-wanted-a-harem-loaded-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/robert-a-heinlein-209_sense-of-wonder_what-did-i-want-i-wanted-a-roc-s-egg-i-w_2888638.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/robert-a-heinlein-209_sense-of-wonder_what-did-i-want-i-wanted-a-roc-s-egg-i-w_2888638.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/robert-a-heinlein-209_sense-of-wonder_what-did-i-want-i-wanted-a-roc-s-egg-i-w_2888638.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What did I want? I wanted a Roc's egg. I wanted a harem loaded with lovely odalisques less than the dust…” — Robert A. Heinlein", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Robert A. Heinlein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What did I want? I wanted...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/what-did-i-want-i-wanted-a-roc-s-egg-i-wanted-a-harem-loaded-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/what-did-i-want-i-wanted-a-roc-s-egg-i-wanted-a-harem-loaded-with/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```