Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.

Americans have always believed that-within the law-all kinds of people should be allowed to take the initiative in all kinds of activities. And out of that pluralism has come virtually all of our creativity. Freedom is real only to the extent that there are diverse alternatives.

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

When one may pay out over two million dollars to presidential and Congressional campaigns, the U.S. government is virtually up for sale.

Creativity requires the freedom to consider 'unthinkable' alternatives, to doubt the worth of cherished practices. Every organization, every society is under the spell of assumptions so familiar that they are never questioned, least of all by those most intimately involved.

True happiness involves the full use of one's power and talents.

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