I was to Japanese visitors to Washington what the Mona Lisa is to Americans visiting Paris.

We are seekers of the truth, but we do not embody the truth. And in humility, we should recognize that the same can be said about our most ardent foes.

The old adage that polite conversation should not include talk of politics or religion is understandable because both subjects are so heavily laden with emotion that discussion can quickly turn to shouting. Blood is shed over politics, religion and the two in combination.

When we vest our personal opinions with the trappings of religion, we make religion the servant of our politics.

We have a God-given commission, but it is not a commission to be self-righteous know-it-alls- quite the contrary. Our work in God's world begins with the acknowledgment that we are not God, and that our most bitter rivals are made in God's image.

I think a lot of us share a fear that we and people we love will lose control of our own destinies at the end of life.

The Federal Reserve bank buys government bonds without one penny.