I began to think of war, even so-called "good wars" like World War II, as corrupting everybody. Violence begetting violence. The good guys beginning to act like the bad guys. And when I studied the history of wars, it seemed to me that that was the case. Athens vs. Sparta in the Peloponnesian War. The Athenians presumably the democratic state. The Spartans the totalitarian state. But as the war went on, the Athenians began to act like the Spartans. They began committing atrocities and cruelties. So I saw this as a characteristic of war, even so-called "good wars."

Historically, the most terrible things - war, genocide, and slavery - have resulted not from disobedience, but from obedience.

Most wars, after all, present themselves as humanitarian endeavors to help people.

In a two-party system, if both parties ignore public opinion, there is no place voters can turn.

Very important thing to keep in mind, that when justice comes and when injustices are remedied, they’re not remedied by the initiative of the national government or the politicians. They only respond to the power of social movements.

The meaning ... of a writer will be found not just in what he intends to say, or what he does literally say, but in the effect of his writing on living beings.

Pessimism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy; it reproduces itself by crippling our willingness to act.