Aside from battles, the history of nations seemed to consist of nothing but powerless old poops like myself, heavily medicated and vaguely beloved in the long ago, coming to kiss the boots of young psychopaths.

For a Russian to be chivalrous with an American is a spiritual impossibility, a conradiction in terms.

A lack of seriousness has led to all sorts of wonderful insights.

Why throw money at problems? That is what money is for. Should the nation's wealth be redistributed? It has been and continues to be redistributed to a few people in a manner strikingly unhelpful.

High school is closer to the core of the American experience than anything else I can think of.

I pity the Jews trying to get through life with only half a Bible. That's like trying to get from here to San Francisco with a road map that stops at Dubuque, Iowa.

Hate, in the long run, is about as nourishing as cyanide.