Some of the most moving experiences I've had are just in black churches in the South, during the Civil Rights Movement, where people were getting beaten, killed, really struggling for the most elementary rights.

The intellectual tradition is one of servility to power, and if I didn't betray it I'd be ashamed of myself.

Expressing criticism of society is not being a grouch.

One might ask why tobacco is legal and marijuana not. A possible answer is suggested by the nature of the crop.

The market is regarded as democratic because everybody has a vote. Of course, some have more votes than others because your votes depend on the number of dollars you have, but everybody participates and therefore it's called democratic.

The United States is a very insular society. Most people know very little about the outside world and don't care that much. They're concerned with their own affairs.

Technology is usually fairly neutral. It’s like a hammer, which can be used to build a house or to destroy someone’s home. The hammer doesn’t care. It is almost always up to us to determine whether the technology is good or bad.