With the situation as gray as it could be, no one was more conspicuous in his calm presence of mind than Washington. They must be "cool but determined" he had told the men before the battle, when spirits were high. Now, in the face of catastrophe, he was demonstrating what he meant by his own example. Whatever anger or torment or despair he felt, he kept to himself.

If we think back through our own lives, the subjects that you liked best in school almost certainly were taught by the teachers you liked best. And the teacher you liked best was the teacher who cared about the subject she taught.

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

May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.

My love is to tell a story but I like stories that evolve from character, from the nature of the individuals involved.

No harm's done to history by making it something someone would want to read.

History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.