without being sure of something, we can not begin to think about everything elses

If it is sweet to be right, then - let's not deny it - it is downright savory to point out that someone else is wrong.

We need to learn to love the flawed, imperfect things that we create, and to forgive ourselves for creating them. Regret doesen't remind us what we did badly, it reminds us what we know we could do better.

Thirty-three percent of all of our regrets pertain to decisions we made about education.

wrongness always seems to come at us from left field - that is, from outside ourselves. But the reality could hardly be more different. Error is the ultimate inside job. Yes, the world can be profoundly confusing; and yes, other people can mislead or deceive you. In the end, though, nobody but you can choose to believe your own beliefs.

Take away the ability of an intelligent, principled, hard-working mind to get it wrong, and you take away the whole thing.

both doubt and certainty are as contagious as the common cold