Wars do not always begin with an abrupt, cymbal-crash rupture of conditions properly characterized as peace. There can be almost seamlessly incremental transitions.

Politics should share one purpose with religion: the steady emancipation of the individual through the education of his passions.

Political nature abhors a vacuum, which is what often exists for a year or two in a party after it loses a presidential election.

The strongest continuous thread in America's political tradition is skepticism about government.

Politics in a democracy is transactional: Politicians seek votes by promising to do things for voters, who seek promises in exchange for their votes.

Modern man's capacity for destruction is quixotic evidence of humanity's capacity for reconstruction. The powerful technological agents we have unleashed against the environment include many of the agents we require for its reconstruction.

The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.