Nixon represents that dark, venal and incurably violent side of the American character almost every other country in the world has learned to fear and despise.

I was not proud of what I had learned but I never doubted that it was worth knowing.

I guess I'm just courtly until people get in my way. You'll find most Southerners are like that.

You better take care of me Lord, if you don't you're gonna have me on your hands.

There might be some serious fun in politics.

Richard Nixon has never been one of my favorite people anyway. For years I've regarded his existence as a monument to all the rancid genes and broken chromosomes that corrupt the possibilities of the American Dream; he was a foul caricature of himself, a man with no soul, no inner convictions, with the integrity of a hyena and the style of a poison toad. The Nixon I remembered was absolutely humorless; I couldn't imagine him laughing at anything except maybe a paraplegic who wanted to vote Democratic but couldn't quite reach the lever on the voting machine.

I am a generous man, by nature, and far more trusting than I should be. Indeed. The real world is risky territory for people with generosity of spirit. Beware.