When the most important decisions are made in secret, we lose our ability to check the powers that control.

In all my work, I'm interested in understanding big issues through the lives of individuals.

One of the things that I think is true is that encryption actually is able to secure our communications, that every individual can use encryption, and that it's accessible and in many cases free.

It's not everyday that a whistleblower is actually willing to be identified.

In all my work, I'm interested in trying to understand the human consequences of government policies.

I think it's radical to censor information because the government asks you to. That's radical.

People are starting to understand that the devices we carry with us reveal our location, who we're talking to, and all kinds of other information.

That's a question you'd have to present to people in the White House.

One of the most frightening things, I think, is the capacity for retroactive searching, so you can go back in time and trace who someone is in contact with and where they've been.

I don't speak Arabic - I know a little to get by, but that's all.

The free software community should be supported more widely. I’m totally in solidarity with what they do.

The practice of forgiving is a sequential practice that begins with excusing someone.

The path to enlightenment is really very simple - all we need to do is stop cherishing ourself and learn to cherish others. All other spiritual realisations will naturally follow from this.

I think the worst sort of time travel is how the clock speeds up when I'm on my break.

YANKEE, n. In Europe, an American. In the Northern States of our Union, a New Englander. In the Southern States the word is unknown.

Everybody is great really and has got to be great.

There is something distinguished about even his failures; they sink not trivially, but with a certain air of majesty, like a great ship, its flags flying, full of holes.

Hail, follow, well met, All dirty and wet: Find out, if you can, Who's master, who's man.

Swans are majestic, beautiful looking creatures. With really ugly temperaments.

Life has many ways of testing a person's will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen all at once.

All-devouring time, envious age, Nought can escape you, and by slow degrees, Worn by your teeth, all things will lingering die.