Courage is contagious. If a leader shows courage, others get the idea.

People are so helpful. People will stop what they're doing to show you something, to walk with you through a section of the town, or explain how a suspension bridge really works.

Never assume that people in positions of responsibility are behaving responsibly.

I think it is one of the most extraordinary elections, a turning point for our country and for the world. That remarkable young man [Barack Obama] has kept his demeanor, kept his temperament and has shown a power to inspire. I see what energy that he has inspired among the young. Well, it inspires us old goats too.

I work very hard on the writing, writing and rewriting and trying to weed out the lumber.

Nobody ever lived in the past.

We must not think of learning as only what happens in schools. It is an extended part of life. The most readily available resource for all of life is our public library system.