“Progress is not an illusion; it happens, but it is slow and invariably disappointing.”

“If you look at history, even recent history, you see that there is indeed progress. . . . Over time, the cycle is clearly, generally upwards. And it doesn't happen by laws of nature. And it doesn't happen by social laws. . . . It happens as a result of hard work by dedicated people who are willing to look at problems honestly, to look at them without illusions, and to go to work chipping away at them, with no guarantee of success — in fact, with a need for a rather high tolerance for failure along the way, and plenty of disappointments.”

“I think my quarry is illusion. I war against magic. I believe that, though illusion often cheers and comforts, it ultimately and invariably weakens and constricts the spirit.”

“Never discourage anyone...who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.”

“It wasn't science and technology that cause a slow progress, but collective knowledge of the society and market demands.”

“Was it possible in any relationship to not disappoint, to do anything more than only briefly rekindle the initial fatal illusion?”