An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher.

One of the reasons people stop learning is that they become less and less willing to risk failure.

It is one of the ironies of history that reformers so often misjudge the consequences of their reforms.

An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher.

One exemplary act may affect one life, or even millions of lives. All those who set standards for themselves, who strengthen the bonds of community, who do their work creditably and accept individual responsibility, are building the common future.

History never looks like history when you are living through it. It always looks confusing and messy, and it always feels uncomfortable.

The ultimate goal of the educational system is to shift to the individual the burden of pursing his own education. This will not be a widely shared pursuit until we get over our odd conviction that education is what goes on in school buildings and nowhere else.