In Shakespeare, unique individuals repudiate the stereotypes demanded by the structure of the play: Shylock commands our sympathy, Barnardine refuses to be hanged. Individuals trump the category.

Over recent years, urbanisation, globalisation and the destruction of local cultures has led to a rise in the prevalence of mental illness in the developing world.

Socialism and capitalism are both essentially materialist, just different ways of approaching the lifeless world of matter and deciding how to share the spoils.

The nature of creativity is to make space for things to happen... We can drive it out with our busyness and plans.

The imperial vastness of late Roman architecture was made possible by the invention of concrete.

Every day, with every word, we get to decide: Do we mar the world, or mark the world?

Philosophy has no end in view save truth; faith looks for nothing but obedience and piety.

Love of truth shows itself in this, that a man knows how to find and value the good in everything.

If 13 is unlucky, then 12 and 14 are guilty by association.

merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again

There is no such thing as 'social gambling.' Either you are there to cut the other bloke's heart out and eat it -- or you're a sucker. If you don't like this choice -- don't gamble.

...oneness is the secret to everything.

We are spending $1 billion a week in Iraq.

The measure of any man's virtue is what he would do, if he had neither the laws nor public opinion, nor even his own prejudices, to control him.