Original artwork, not a still
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress · 1966
There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Heinlein's slogan says every benefit is paid for somewhere, even when nobody is sending a bill. On the Moon, where air, water and ice are literally counted and paid for, it is a survival rule as much as an economic one. Readers took it out of the book as the shortest possible lesson in hidden costs, and it now turns up in economics classes, startup talk and anywhere a deal looks too good.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Moon Is a Harsh MistressShow the scene
Heinlein's 1966 novel about a lunar revolt ran monthly in Worlds of If from December 1965 to April 1966 before its book release. Its rational-anarchist elder, Professor Bernardo de la Paz, is the mentor of narrator Manuel "Mannie" O'Kelly-Davis, and the phrase belongs to Prof's creed. The book shows the idea early with the old bar free lunch, where the drinks quietly cost more, and it names its third and final part "TANSTAAFL!". The saying was already around in the 1930s, but the novel made its acronym famous.
Sources (3)
- The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, WikipediaLead, infobox, plot summary (Book 3 heading)Reference checked
- There ain't no such thing as a free lunch, WikipediaLead and origins sectionReference checked
- The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, WikiquoteTANSTAAFL entryReference checked
Context reviewed