Individualism is rather like innocence: There must be something unconscious about it.

There seems to be a terrible misunderstanding on the part of a great many people to the effect that when you cease to believe you may cease to behave.

The life of sense begins by assuming that we can only fitfully live the life of reason.

One of the misfortunes of our time is that in getting rid of false shame, we have killed off so much real shame as well.

The Englishman wants to be recognized as a gentleman, or as some other suitable species of human being; the American wants to be considered a good guy.

Humor simultaneously wounds and heals, indicts and pardons, diminishes and enlarges; it constitutes inner growth at the expense of outer gain, and those who possess and honestly practice it make themselves more through a willingness to make themselves less.

For tens of millions of people [television] has become habit-forming, brain-softening, taste-degrading.