“Life is like a stew, you have to stir it frequently, or all the scum rises to the top.”

“Society is like a stew. If you don't stir it up every once in a while then a layer of scum floats to the top.”

“There's always the same amount of good luck and bad luck in the world. If one person doesn't get the bad luck, somebody else will have to get it in their place. There's always the same amount of good and evil, too. We can't eradicate evil, we can only evict it, force it to move across town. And when evil moves, some good always goes with it. But we can never alter the ratio of good to evil. All we can do is keep things stirred up so neither good nor evil solidifies. That's when things get scary. Life is like a stew, you have to stir it frequently, or all the scum rises to the top.”

“The sun stirs the earth. Around and around, it stirs us like stew.”

“America is a melting pot, the people at the bottom get burned while all the scum floats to the top.”

“I expect that you must receive top marks at school, young lady."Madeleine smiled as she stirred her tea. "There are always rewards for those who state the obvious frequently and with conviction.”