One could not always put safety up front as the prime goal. Do that, and who would ever achieve anything of note?

Truth, beaten down, may well rise again. But there's a reason it gets beaten down. Usually, we don't like it very much.

Throughout our long and sorry history it has been men who supposed themselves to be exemplars of integrity who have done all the damage. Every crusade, whether for decent literary standards or to cover women's bodies or to free the holy land, had been launched, endorsed, and enthusiastically perpetrated by men of character.

We could never know who we truly were until we heard the whispers of the stars.

The secret to a successful career in virtually any field is good public relations. Forget results. Forget the facts. Perception is all that matters.

All of the important things ... will turn out to be universally shared. It's why there will be no true aliens.

Technological civilizations don't last long. You're all right until you get a printing press. Then a race starts between technology and common sense. And maybe technology always wins.