Human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, but life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves.

A great novel is a mirror and a window: it shows us ourselves and the world.

The most successful societies are those that have been able to balance the need for a strong state with the need for individual freedom.

When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.