Patriotic societies seem to think that the way to educate school children in a democracy is to stage bigger and better flag-saluting.

It is the individual who knows how little they know about themselves who stands the most reasonable chance of finding out something about themselves before they die.

If I spoke no English, my world would be limited to the Japanese-speaking community, and no matter how talented I was, I could never do business, seek employment or take part in public affairs outside that community.

The meanings of words are not in the words, they are in us.

Agreement is brought about by changing people's minds - other people's.

Republicans are people who, if you were drowning 50 feet from shore, would throw you a 25-foot rope and tell you to swim the other 25 feet because it would be good for your character. Democrats would throw you a hundred-foot rope and then walk away looking for other good deeds to do.

The traditional educational theory is to the effect that the way to bring up children is to keep them innocent (i.e., believing in biological, political, and socioeconomic fairy tales) as long as possible ... that students should be given the best possible maps of the territories of experience in order that they may be prepared for life, is not as popular as might be assumed.