My role in the government was not to think about narratives and consistency with narratives, but think of the human consequences of rules.

I strongly believe that the Second Amendment creates an individual right to possess and use guns for purposes of both hunting and self-defense.

I think it's a very firm part of human nature that if you surround yourself with like-minded people, you'll end up thinking more extreme versions of what you thought before.

As a matter of history, the Fourteenth Amendment was not understood to ban segregation on the basis of race.

There is no liberty without dependency. That is why we should celebrate tax day.

I'll tell you an explanation that I find commonly overrated and speculative in the extreme: the idea that things that succeed in popular culture do that because they hit the temper of the times.

There are some lawyers who think of themselves as basically instruments of whoever their clients are, and they pride themselves on their professional craft

Catholicism is a wide tent in terms of political and legal positions. We could have nine Catholics on the Supreme Court and a great deal of diversity toward the law.

Once we know that people are human and have some Homer Simpson in them, then there's a lot that can be done to manipulate them.

A program that saves young people produces more welfare than one that saves old people.

Somewhat more broadly, I will suggest that animals should be permitted to bring suit, with human beings as their representatives, to prevent violations of current law.

you roll me out flat

Love isn't all sparks and firecrackers. Sometimes it’s more subtle than that.

It was said that the gods favored fools because they were entertaining to watch.

You can't go back again, even if you wanted to. But you can own your own life, mistakes and all.

What's well begun is half done.

I am not enough to be only in the mountains, not enough to be on an expedition. I believe that if the walks uphill, then with some goal, and that goal is to climb to the top.

The highest pleasure to be got out of freedom, and having nothing to do, is labor.

To have friends, you know, one need only be good-natured; but when a man has no enemy left there must be something mean about him.

Whenever I draw a circle, I immediately want to step out of it.

Our big goal should be to make connection to the Internet as common as connection to telephones is today.