Most wars are not fought over shortages of resources such as food and water, but rather over conquest, revenge, and ideology.
Steven PinkerThe idea that children are passive repositories to be shaped by their parents has been massively overstated. A child's peer group is a far greater determinant of its development and achievements than parental aspiration.
Steven PinkerThe linguistic clumsiness of tourists and students might be the price we pay for the linguistic genius we displayed as babies, just as the decrepitude of age in the price we pay for the vigor of youth.
Steven Pinker