Many years later, a psychiatrist friend of mine said something to us. He said, "Respect denial." It's a powerful force.

A little known area often defines the fortunes of leaders -- management skills.

If you happened to be born on third base, you didn't rub it in the face of the guy who wasn't even born in the stadium. Self-interest was generally checked at the door with your coat and hat.

Two sons, they'll both be presidents after they win their Nobel Prizes. And the daughters, they'll be prima ballerinas before they become the president of Princeton and start their Internet company. And I just started to think about What's the conventional load of those expectations you carry around? You have to pull them out one by one and smash them in the corner. You realize the pile is quite high. But in a way, it becomes oddly liberating to do that.

Younger colleagues tended to draw untested self-confidence from their bonuses and prestigious degrees.

These were lobbyists—many of them compensated quite handsomely not to react as human beings.

I absolutely reject that idea that the press is liberal and what it does is liberal. In my view, it's like accusing a doctor of malpractice or a lawyer of malfeasance.