“In the end, the work of diplomats continues even while others fight. So, it's not necessarily true that everyone needs to march.”

“It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.”

“Self-awareness is probably overrated. A complex, self-regulating system doesn't need it in order to be successful, or even smart.”

“Other generations perceived a plethora of swords hanging over their heads. But generally what they feared were shadows, for neither they nor their gods could actually end the world. Fate might reap an individual, a family, or even a whole nation, but not the entire world. Not then. We, in the mid-twenty-first century, are the first to look up at a sword we ourselves forged, and know, with absolute certainty, it is real...”

“The three basic material rights -- continuity, mutual obligation, and the pursuit of happiness.”

“When it comes to privacy and accountability, people always demand the former for themselves and the latter for everyone else.”

“The best means to an end are not always those that appear most direct.”