Storybook happiness involves every form of pleasant thumb-twiddling; true happiness involves the full use of one's powers and talents.

All excellence involves discipline and tenacity of purpose.

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

Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.

Life is an endless process of self-discovery.

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.

One generalization that is supported both by research and experience is that effective two-way communication is essential to proper functioning of the leader-follower relationship.