If I take refuge in ambiguity, I assure you that it's quite conscious.

The function of a briefing paper is to prevent the ambassador from saying something dreadfully indiscreet. I sometimes think its true object is to prevent the ambassador from saying anything at all.

Universities should be safe havens where ruthless examination of realities will not be distorted by the aim to please or inhibited by the risk of displeasure.

Maybe you are the "cool" generation. If coolness means a capacity to stay calm and use your head in the service of ends passionately believed in, then it has my admiration.

There is no lasting hope in violence, only temporary relief from hopelessness.

We all live in a televised goldfish bowl.

While the spoken word can travel faster, you can't take it home in your hand. Only the written word can be absorbed wholly at the convenience of the reader.

The presumption of innocence is not just a legal concept. In commonplace terms, it rests on that generosity of spirit which assumes the best, not the worst, of the stranger.

You and I know that there is a correlation between the creative and the screwball. So we must suffer the screwball gladly.

The fullness or emptiness of life will be measured by the extent to which a man feels that he has an impact on the lives of others.

There is no greater challenge than to have someone relying upon you; no greater satisfaction than to vindicate his expectation.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were atomized at a time when the Japanese were suing desperately for peace.

Serving others means being willing to make sacrifices for their good.

I've been arguing with people for 10 years about tape versus digital, and I believe tape is absolutely essential in getting the sound that's conducive to the enjoyment of music.

It is always safe to learn, even from our enemies; seldom safe to venture to instruct, even our friends.

A sinner can no more repent and believe without the Holy Spirit's aid than he can create a world.

I heard the news today, oh boy.

I was utterly free of speculative prejudices. The bear side doesn't appeal to me any more than the bull side, or vice versa. My one steadfast prejudice is against being wrong.

What makes things memorable is that they are meaningful, significant, colorful.

My only fantasy about writing was that in my old days, after directing many masterpieces, I would write my memoirs.

Even if I'm sad, dancing is a way to let stuff out.