My friend Phil has a theory that the Lord, having made teenagers, felt constrained to make amends and so created the golden retriever.

And the propensity of weak and empty people to follow a leader into the darkness from which there is no return is still flourishing, as ever.

Baseball has a special place in our hearts. It is the game that shows us as we would like to be.

[On George H.W. Bush vs. Michael Dukakis:] Americans now know they can vote for a man who can't express his thoughts or a man who can't express his feelings.

[On men:] On their best days, the best of them are eight years old.

Dogs, bless them, operate on the premise that human beings are fragile and require incessant applications of affection and reassurance. The random lick of a hand and the furry chin draped over the instep are calculated to let the shaky owner know that a friend is nearby.

[On Italy:] ... the country where kindness to strangers is a religion, you can't turn your head without seeing something beautiful, and you can't get a bad meal if you try.