Since September 11, it seems to me that never in our lifetime, except possibly in the early stages of World War II, has it been clearer that we have as a source of strength, a source of direction, a source of inspiration - our story.

Nobody ever lived in the past.

A nation that forgets its past can function no better than an individual with amnesia.

You can make the argument that there's no such thing as the past. Nobody lived in the past. They lived in the present. It is their present, not our present, and they don't know how it's going to come out. They weren't just like we are because they lived in that very different time. You can't understand them if you don't understand how they perceived reality.

Every book is a new journey. I never felt I was an expert on a subject as I embarked on a project.

I feel that as much as I enjoy loafing, there is something higher for which to live.

The preparations were elaborate and mammoth in scale, and Washington threw himself into the effort, demanding that not an hour be lost.