My least favorite Heinlein quote

Robert Heinlein was one of the most quotable authors who ever lived, in my opinion.  I see lines from his work pop up on internet forums all the time.  And with good reason, because there's a lot of simple, though, at times, perhaps uncomfortable, truth in his words.  For example:

A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.

That's from Friday, and it hits home now more than ever, I think, especially in the age of the internet.

Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor.

That's from Starship Troopers, and it should be obviously true to anyone who takes a cursory look at history.

But there's one popular quote that gets under my skin, and it's this one:

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.

I absolutely hate this one.  The division of labor, or "specialization," as Heinlein puts it, is what makes a modern society possible.  If we were all jack of all trades but masters of none, then we'd all be living hand to mouth in Stone Age conditions.  After all, if a man is busy doing all the things, then he won't have time to focus his efforts on any one thing.  He'll never become excellent at anything.  The more specialized labor becomes, the more efficient the broader economy gets, and the richer lives we all lead in the aggregate.

I don't want to see Mozart wasting his time changing diapers and butchering hogs.  I want to see him writing music, because that's where he's most valuable to the rest of us.  Let someone without any artistic genius do the diaper-changing and hog-butchering.  At the same time, I don't want to see a professional athlete spending his days pitching manure and programming computers.  I want to see him play ball at the highest level, and that means dedication and focus on his game.

Now, granted, Heinlein's quote doesn't suggest that a man should actually do those things on a regular basis, but rather that a man should be able to do those things.  Okay, fair enough.  Still, though, that's a nuance that not every reader is going to get.  It's just not a good quote.  In fact, it's a destructive quote, because it diverts individuals away from what they're best at in favor of pursuits in which they have less skill or talent.  It stands in direct opposition to what makes modern living possible.

This seems obvious to me, yet this stupid quote keeps popping up here and there on the internet as if it's some laudable thing.  Anyway, that's my pet peeve for today.  Your tolerance for my ranting is appreciated.  ;)