"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson
"He who is not aware of his ignorance will be only misled by his knowledge."
Richard Whatley
"About all we know about consciousness is that it has something to do with the head, rather than the foot."
Nick Herbert
"I take great comfort in the realization that life is unfair. If life were actually fair, that would mean we deserved all of the terrible things that happen to us."
J. Michael Straczynski
"Television is the first truly democratic culture - the first culture available to everybody, and entirely governed by what the people want. The most terrifying thing is what people do want."
Clive Barnes
"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen."
Leonardo Da Vinci
"All too often, the Congress thinks there is no end to the good they can do with your money and their brains. It is time for us to put an end to this misguided belief. The Founding Father's vision was for a constitutional republic where the will of the people would be imposed on Washington, not the views of Washington imposed on the people."
Sen. John Ashcroft
"To peace! What would we get out of war with Serbia? We'd lose the lives of young men and we'd spend money better used elsewhere. And what would we gain, for heaven's sake? Some plum trees and goat pastures full of droppings, and a bunch of rebellious killers. Long live restraint. "
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
"There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible to live without breaking laws."
Ayn Rand, "Atlas Shrugged"
"With a concession of responsibility unmatched by generations before ours, we have entrusted our lives and futures to professionals and experts who convince us that we have too little knowledge or wit to make any decisions of importance about the management of society. "
Dean Koontz