Liberal institutions straightway cease from being liberal the moment they are soundly established. – Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols, 1888

It is a mistake to imagine that potentially great men are rare. It is the conditions that permit the promise of greatness to be fulfilled that are rare. What is so difficult to achieve is the cultural background that permits potential greatness to be converted into actual greatness. – Fred Hoyle, Of Man and Galaxies