A period of high civilization is one in which thoughts fly freely from mind to mind, from one country to another-yes, from the past into the present.

I believe that much of the maladjustment in our societies is caused, not by malevolence and corruption, but simply by ignorance.

A teacher must believe in the value and interest of his subject as a doctor believes in health.

Many of the snarly bad-tempered teachers whom we remember with hatred were really nice people soured by years of anxiety and penny-pinching.

These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves.

Most Americans do not like poetry. We may respect it, but we do not enjoy it.

Language is a living thing