Whoever I am, or whatever I am doing, some kind of excellence is within my reach.

There is no learning without some difficulty and fumbling. If you want to keep on learning, you must keep on risking failure-all your life.

Some people have greatness thrust upon them. Very few have excellence thrust upon them.

The society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy: neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.

Paralysis of leadership is due in part to the unseen grip of the special interests.

The ultimate goal of the educational system is to shift to the individual the burden of pursuing his education.

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