In a rational society we would want our presidents to be teachers. – In our actual society we insist they be cheerleaders.
Writing my own novels in the ’90s…I never imagined that in ten years, science and rationality would require explanation and defense in a world rocked and ruled by religious fervor.
The first rule is not to lose. The second rule is not to forget the first rule.
Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.
The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.
Go to Heaven for the climate. Hell for the company.
That rifle on the wall of the labourer’s cottage or working class flat is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there.
The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.
I am heartened to find so much wit in you, that you’d give thought to consequences and choose your way with reason, not passion only.