“...your zeal to face life's rough and tumble, your ardor to accept the responsibilities of adulthood is hardly congruent with the aspirations of most graduate students...' He shook his head of disagreeable hair. 'I need not tell you,' he deplored, sinking to paralipsis, 'that there resides in almost every one of 'em the unconscious desire not to grow up. For once the academic goal is attained and the doctorate irradicably abbreviated after the name, the problem of facing the world is confronted. The subtlest, most unremitting drive of the student is his unconscious proclivity to postpone the acceptance of responsibility as long as possible.”

“One problem with test-based accountability, as currently defined and used, is that it removes all responsibility from students and their families for the students' academic performance. NCLB neglected to acknowledge that students share in the responsibility for their academic performance and that they are merely passive recipients of their teachers' influence.”

“The moment a student gives up his right of personal judgment, he is in for accepting all the humbugs of life”

“Most of the students there, he said, don't know what they think. You tell 'em, they'll think it. I plan to tell 'em.”

“I sighed. "Show me the damn ring, Edward."He shook his head. "No."I studied his expression for a long minute."Please?" I asked quietly, experimenting with my newly discovered weapon. I touched his face lightly with the tips of my fingers. "Please can I see it?"His eyes narrowed. "You are the most dangerous creature I have ever met," he muttered. But he got up and moved with unconscious grace to kneel next to the small bedside table.”

“Alas, after a certain age every man is responsible for his face.”