“Let Us Never Forget…

That government is ourselves, and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President, senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country." -- Franklin Roosevelt.

Who to Fear

"You should not be afraid of someone who has a library and reads many books; you should fear someone who has only one book; and he considers it sacred, but he has never read it." Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). Hat tip, Craig Litherland.

Barbara Tuckman’s Law: Perpetual Readiness for Disasters

To visit Israel or the greater Middle East right now, during the Israel-Palestine War might seem terrifying. But historian Barbara Tuckman, author of "The Guns of August," "The March of Folly," and other historical classics, in "A Distant Mirror" fleshed out what she called Tuckman's Law: "Disaster is rarely as pervasive as it seems from …

Thin Line Between Good and Evil

"The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained." …

How History Happens

"There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen"--Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924), founder of the Soviet Union. He was referring to the Russian history he had witnessed in his life. Attempts at reform of the monarchy and Russian society's economic structure were stifled for decades by bureaucracy. And then, finally, suddenly …

Advice On How To Live Your Life

In your life, founding father Benjamin Franklin advised, "Write something worth reading or do something worth writing about." in Poor Richard's Almanac, 1738. Do you expect that you will follow his advice, or have you? Along the same lines, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes advised, "As life is passion and action, it is required …

“Après Moi, Le Déluge”

This famous quote from French King Louis XV in 1757 could be repeated today by anyone who feels narcissistically and nihilistically that only he or she matters, only the here and now matter and there's no need to be concerned about the fate of our children, future generations or really anyone other than ourselves. Or …

What Is The Best Way to Preserve Our Liberties?

"It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace (rabble or mob), that they are incapable of exercising the sovereignty. Usurpation is then an easy attainment, and an usurper soon found. The people themselves become the willing instruments of their own debasement and ruin. Let us, then, look …

A People Should Not Be Afraid of Unpleasant Facts and Foreign Ideas

"“We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.” -- President John F. Kennedy, 1962. Quote was …

Barack Obama on the Importance of Reading Books, Even When You’re Extremely Busy

Each year, President Barack Obama releases his reading list. His recent recommendations include: "The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams" by Stacy Schiff, a biography of a Founding Father. “South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation,” by Imani Perry, which won the National Book Award for its nuanced analysis of …