Our national myths often exaggerate the role of the individual heroes and understate the importance of collective effort.

Young Americans are dropping out of religion at an alarming rate of five to six times the historic rate.

What really matters from the point of view of social capital and civic engagement is not merely nominal membership, but active and involved membership.

A society that relies on generalized reciprocity is more efficient than a distrustful society, for the same reason that money is more efficient than barter. Trust lubricates social life. Networks of civic engagement also facilitate coordination and communication and amplify information about the trustworthiness of other individuals.

None of the people watching 'Big Brother' will bring you chicken soup if you get sick.

Busy people tend to forgo the one activity - TV watching _ that is most lethal to community involvement

Social capital may turn out to be a prerequisite for, rather than a consequence of, effective computer-mediated communication.