“Our major obligation is not to mistake slogans for solutions.”

“Perhaps it is our obligation to be noble before it is our obligation to be happy.”

“There are so many charlatans in the world of education. They teach for a couple of years, come up with a few clever slogans, build their websites, and hit the lecture circuit. In this fast-food-society, simple solutions to complex problems are embraced far too often. We can do better. I hope that people who read this book realize that true excellence takes sacrifice, mistakes, and enormous amounts of effort. After all, there are no shortcuts.”

“It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes.”

“Everyone's life is a mess. Everyone's. We all make mistakes . . . and not just little slip-ups. Major mistakes that hurt us and other people.”

“The slogan of Hell: Eat or be eaten. The slogan of Heaven: Eat and be eaten.”