A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. - Second Amendment to the Constitution An armed society is a polite society.

The faith in which I was brought up assured me that I was better than other people; I was saved, they were damned.... Our hymns were loaded with arrogance - self-congratulation on how cozy we were with the Almighty and what a high opinion he had of us, what hell everybody else would catch come Judgment Day.

For me, politeness is a sine qua non of civilization.

The best thing about space travel is that it made it possible to go elsewhere.

Fulfillment in life is loving a good woman and killing a bad man.

Brainpower is the scarcest commodity and the only one of real value.

There are things which cannot be taught in ten easy lessons, nor popularized for the masses; they take years of skull sweat.