We cannot have islands of excellence in a sea of slovenly indifference to standards.

Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.

Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all.

The ultimate goal of the educational system is to shift to the individual the burden of pursuing his education.

Men of integrity, by their very existence, rekindle the belief that as a people we can live above the level of moral squalor. We need that belief; a cynical community is a corrupt community.

Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.

True happiness involves the full use of one's power and talents.

Some people strengthen the society just by being the kind of people they are.

History never looks like history when you are living through it. It always looks confusing and messy, and it always feels uncomfortable.

The cynic says, "One man can't do anything". I say, "Only one man can do anything."

If you have some respect for people as they are, you can be more effective in helping them to become better than they are.

Sometimes humility is ego in disguise.

I love you more than life itself.” There was no way she could doubt his words, because he was opening his eyes to her and letting her glimpse his soul.

One connection I see between the work I did on philosophy and my work on technology is that both communities tend to mystify and create an atmosphere of complexity.

The ignorant man is an ox. He grows in size, not in wisdom.

I'm a substitute mom." "You're more like a crazy aunt who only gets called when somebody needs bailing out of jail.

Adam Smith and Malthus and Ricardo ! There is something about these three figures to evoke more than ordinary sentiments from us their children in the spirit.

What scares me is not living up to be a good enough father to my son and letting down my family - not being there enough and not being able to give enough of yourself.

Don't think that even an engineer, when he buys a motor, takes it to bits to scrutinize it. Even he as a specialist buys from the external appearance. A motor ought to look like a birthday present.

Time would become meaningless if there were too much of it.

People ask me all the time would I like to still be playing? No. I'm glad I played when I played.