There is something in the nature of silence which affects me deeply. Why it is I know not; but I do know that I love to be alone at such an hour as this. I love to forget the outward world and hold communion with the beings of the mind. – Charles Lanman, “Musings,” 1840
American movies and music deliver themes of freedom, innocence, and power that appeal to others – partly because America itself was put together out of a multiplicity of national traditions. – Todd Gitlin
Many people around the President have sizeable egos before entering government, some with good reason. Their new positions will do little to moderate their egos. – Donald Rumsfeld
In the Middle Ages, they had guillotines, stretch racks, whips and chains. Nowadays, we have a much more effective torture device called the bathroom scale. – Stephen Phillips
