In science, the old men are usually wrong. But in politics, the old men are wise, counsel caution, and in the end are often right.

Having wallowed in a delightful orgy of anti-French sentiment, having deplored and applauded the villains themselves, having relished the foibles of bankers, railwaymen, diplomats, and police, the public was now ready to see its faith restored in the basic soundness of banks, railroads, government, and police.

Because the history of evolution is that life escapes all barriers. Life breaks free. Life expands to new territories. Painfully, perhaps even dangerously. But life finds a way.

To apply general tools to specific problems is to fail.

Discovery, they believe, is inevitable. So they just try to do it first. That's the game in science.

It's hard to decide who's truly brilliant; it's easier to see who's driven, which in the long run may be more important.

Nobody dares to solve the problems-because the solution might contradict your philosophy, and for most people clinging to beliefs is more important than succeeding in the world.