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by chosenbreed37 2179 days ago
>"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."

That's a brilliant quote

2 comments

As I got older, it started to sound dumber and dumber.

I think there is a way in which that idea appeals to someone young, because until a certain age, you can imagine being anything, knowing everything, your future is unlimited.

And then somewhere around middle age, you realize that whether you are the best specialist in a field or not, whatever you've achieved, your life is inevitably going to be a tiny fraction of the scope of possible human experience and far from the extremes of what is possible.

It's from Starship Troopers the book. I really liked it, but it might not be for some.
No it's not. It's Lazarus Long from Time Enough for Love.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competent_man

Good catch! Have read both books and mixed up the source...