The United States in particular and the West in general should be feeling a little embarrassed about all that lecturing we did to the Third World.

Coming up with a good idea, with an insight into the way the world works that is really new and that you really believe in, is a deeply satisfying experience.

Political figures who talk a lot about liberty and freedom invariably turn out to mean the freedom to not pay taxes and discriminate based on race; freedom to hold different ideas and express them, not so much.

I don't think I've had any great success in predicting politics or social change, nor have I really tried.

If you had to explain America's economic success with one word, that word would be "education".... Until now, the results of educational neglect have been gradual - a slow-motion erosion of America's relative position. But things are about to get much worse, as the economic crisis ... deals a severe blow to education across the board.... We need to wake up and realize that one of the keys to our nation's historic success is now a wasting asset. Education made America great; neglect of education can reverse the process.

I've always believed in expansionary monetary policy and if necessary fiscal policy when the economy is depressed.

The real danger with debt is what happens if lots of people decide, or are forced, to pay it off at the same time.