For a long time the human instinct to understand was thwarted by facile religious explanations.

The words "question" and "quest" are cognates. Only through inquiry can we discover truth.

There is a report that says that kids who watch violent TV programs tend to be more violent when they grow up. But did the TV cause the violence, or do violent children preferentially enjoy watching violent programs?

Other things being equal, it is better to be smart than to be stupid.

Scientists make mistakes. Accordingly, it is the job of the scientist to recognize our weakness, to examine the widest range of opinions, to be ruthlessly self-critical. Science is a collective enterprise with the error-correction machinery often running smoothly.

Our ancestors lived out of doors. They were as familiar with the night sky as most of us are with our favorite television programs.

Books are like seeds. They can lie dormant for centuries and then flower in the most unpromising soil.