Better to be a jerk that knees than a knee that jerks.

It is in the nature of tyranny to deride the will of the people as the voice of the mob, and to denounce the cry for freedom as the roar of anarchy.

Of higher value than any one leader is the cause.

On the analogy of 'Dictionary Johnson,' we call Fred R. Shapiro, editor of the just-published Yale Book of Quotations (well worth the $50 price), 'Quotationeer Shapiro.' Shapiro does original research, earning his 1,067-page volume a place on the quotation shelf next to Bartlett's and Oxford's.

One challenge to the arts in America is the need to make the arts, especially the classic masterpieces, accessible and relevant to today's audience.

Writers who used to show off their erudition no longer sing in the bare ruined choir of the media.

Never put the story in the lead. Let 'em have a hot shot of ambiguity right between the eyes.