[T]he only thing wrong with Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was that it was the South, not the North, that was fighting for a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Wherever I sit is the head of the table.

I know of no human being who has a better time than an eager and energetic young reporter.

Our literature, despite several false starts that promised much, is chiefly remarkable, now as always, for its respectable mediocrity.

The fact is that the average man's love of liberty is nine-tenths imaginary, exactly like his love of sense, justice and truth... Liberty is not a thing for the great masses of men. It is the exclusive possession of a small and disreputable minority, like knowledge, courage and honor. It takes a special sort of man to understand and enjoy liberty - and he is usually an outlaw in democratic societies.

The ideal Government of all reflective men, from Aristotle onward, is one which lets the individual alone - one which barely escapes being no government at all.

A great literature is thus chiefly the product of doubting and inquiring minds in revolt against the immovable certainties of the nation.