“I think being a liberal, in the true sense, is being nondoctrinaire, nondogmatic, non-committed to a cause - but examining each case on its merits. Being left of center is another thing; it's a political position. I think most newspapermen by definition have to be liberal; if they're not liberal, by my definition of it, then they can hardly be good newspapermen. If they're preordained dogmatists for a cause, then they can't be very good journalists; that is, if they carry it into their journalism."[Interview with Ron Powers (Chicago Sun Times) for Playboy, 1973]”

“In seeking truth you have to get both sides of a story.”

“America's health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system.”

“Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”

“No human being can be more human than another human being. I liberate you from my ignorance.”

“If there's another writer, like Ross McDonald or Raymond Chandler, and all they're writing are mysteries, they won't be accepted," he said. "And that's problematic. A lot of so-called literary novels are just not very good. They're not well-written, they're not well-thought-out. They have pyrotechnics of intelligence."On the other hand, some of the best writers and speculative ideas are in science-fiction. The science-fiction genre is completely, completely segregated. And these people are writing good stuff. They're writing about where you're going, which means they're talking about where you are.”

“It's not about being liberal or conservative, it's about being human.It's not about being rich or poor, it's about being alive and happy.It's not about being right, it's about being considerate and compassionate.”