Knowledge is power, and the right knowledge lets man perform miraculous, almost godlike tasks.

But who is more ignorant? The man who cannot define lightning, or the man who does not respect its awesome power?

In which year did a Harvard sculler last outrow an Oxford man at Henley?" Langdon had no idea, but he could imagine only one reason the question had been asked. "Surely such a travesty has never occurred.

Politics was not just about winning the election, it was about winning decisively--having the momentum to carry out one's vision. Historically, any president who squeaked into office on a narrow margin accomplished much less; he was weakened right out of the gate, and Congress never seemed to let him forget it.

Nothing captures human interest more than human tragedy.

The media is the right arm of anarchy.

The human mind has a primitive ego defense mechanism that negates all realities that produce too much stress for the brain to handle. It’s called Denial.