As my father always used to tell me, 'You see, son, there's always someone in the world worse off than you.' And I always used to think, 'So?

At a conference of sociologists in America in 1977, love was defined as "the cognitive-affective state characterized by intrusive and obsessive fantasizing concerning reciprocity of amorant feelings by the object of the amorance." That is jargon - the practice of never calling a spade a spade when you might instead call it a manual earth-restructuring implement - and it is one of the great curses of modern English.

I really enjoy going to a library and spending the day doing research - to me that is the most pleasurable part of writing the science book.

Taking a scenic route in Southeast Iowa is like talking about a good Barry Manilow album. You have to make certain allowances.

Every kid I knew had a father with a little stash of men's magazines which the father thought was secret and which the kid knew all about.

In three minutes, 98 percent of all the matter there is or will ever be has been produced. We have a universe

Language is more fashion than science, and matters of usage, spelling and pronunciation tend to wander around like hemlines.