Apathy can only be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can only be aroused by two things: first, an ideal which takes the imagination by storm, and second, a definite intelligible plan for carrying that ideal into practice.

My own view of history is that human beings do have genuine freedom to make choices. Our destiny is not predetermined for us; we determine it for ourselves.

I don’t believe a committee can write a book. It can, oh, govern a country, perhaps, but I don’t believe it can write a book.

The worst country to be poor in is America.

My own view of history is that human beings do have genuine freedom to make choices. Our destiny is not predetermined for us; we determine it for ourselves.

Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.

It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it.

We have been God-like in our planned breeding of our domesticated plants and animals, but we have been rabbit-like in our unplanned breeding of ourselves.

To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization.

Civilizations in decline are consistently characterised by a tendency towards standardization and uniformity.