It wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, 'the greatest', but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is.

Why do most Americans look up to education and down upon educated people?

You may be sure that when a man begins to call himself a realist he is preparing to do something that he is secretly ashamed of doing.

Usually, if we hate, it is the shadow of the person that we hate, rather than the substance. We may hate a person because he reminds us of someone we feared and disliked when younger; or because we see in him some gross caricature of what we find repugnant in ourself; or because he symbolizes an attitude that seems to threaten us.

Many people feel "guilty" about things they shouldn't feel guilty about, in order to shut out feelings of guilt about things they should feel guilty about.

"Terrorism" is what we call the violence of the weak, and we condemn it; "war" is what we call the violence of the strong, and we glorify it.

We believe what we want to believe, what we like to believe, what suits our prejudices and fuels our passions.