How well you do in life shouldn't depend on how well your parents did.

People may go to the library looking mainly for information, but they find each other there.

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.

Most Americans watch Friends rather than having friends.

Community connectedness is not just about warm fuzzy tales of civic triumph. In measurable and well-documented ways, social capital makes an enormous difference in our lives...Social capital makes us smarter, healthier, safer, richer, and better able to govern a just and stable democracy.

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