“Two types of choices seem to me to have been crucial in tipping the outcomes [of the various societies' histories] towards success or failure: long-term planning and willingness to reconsider core values. On reflection we can also recognize the crucial role of these same two choices for the outcomes of our individual lives.”

“Our beliefs about how much personal control people have over their lives, which are shaped in part by the level of individualism to which we have been exposed, also play an important role in our preferences for allocating choice.”

“It is crucial for everyone in society--but especially crucial for teachers, parents, and politicians--to realize that social freedom and personal autonomy depend on well-stocked imaginations, for freedom and autonomy depend on having and making choices.”

“Having an eternal perspective can help when considering various choices in our lives. If we are honest, some decisions we have made in our lives would have been made differently if we had taken the time to think of them in terms of our eternal future.”

“Joy is a choice, not an outcome.”

“One of the crucial traits of real leaders in a democracy is the ability to help people become better informed so that society can make better choices.”