The profession of shaman has many advantages. It offers high status with a safe livelihood free of work in the dreary, sweaty sense. In most societies it offers legal privileges and immunities not granted to other men. But it is hard to see how a man who has been given a mandate from on High to spread tidings of joy to all mankind can be seriously interested in taking up a collection to pay his salary; it causes one to suspect that the shaman is on the moral level of any other con man. But it is a lovely work if you can stomach it.

The truth of a proposition has nothing to do with its credibility. And vice versa.

Happiness lies in being privileged to work hard for long hours in doing whatever you think is worth doing. One man may find happiness in supporting a wife and children. Another may find it in robbing banks. Still another may labor mightily for years in pursuing pure research with no discernible result. Note the individual and subjective nature of each case. No two are alike and there is no reason to expect them to be. Each man or woman must find for himself or herself that occupation in which hard work and long hours make him or her happy.

They didn't want it good, they wanted it Wednesday.

The death rate is the same for us as for anybody ... one person, one death, sooner or later.

Peace is an extension of war by political means. Plenty of elbow-room is pleasanter -- and much safer.

One man's 'magic' is another man's engineering. 'Supernatural' is a null word.