“So many people these days, it seemed, believed that these things (personal fulfillment and self-esteem) could come only from work, not from parenting, and many people believed that having children had nothing to do with raising them.”

“There are many ways to motivate people to do things, but loyalty comes from the ability to inspire people.”

“Too many people seem to believe that silence was a void that needed to be filled, even if nothing important was said.”

“Many people are losing themselves. They don't have something to believe in…We should believe in ourselves and be more self-confident.”

“It is so shocking to find out how many people do not believe that they can learn, and how many more believe learning to be difficult.”

“I believe that too many people stay at jobs they hate to get more vacation days so that they can spend more time away from the jobs they hate.”

“America’s media seem utterly lacking in introspection. Do they understand why so many people hate them so? Do they care? Are they so smugly self-righteous and self-regarding they cannot see?”

“I was been raised to believe I was an artist. I believed what my parents said and fulfilled it, like a prophecy.”

“I wonder how many of the people who profess to believe in the leveling ideas of collectivism and egalitarianism really just believe that they themselves are good for nothing. I mean, how many leftists are animated by a quite reasonable self-loathing? In their hearts they know that they are not going to become scholars or inventors or industrialists or even ordinary good kind people. So they need a way to achieve that smugness for which the left is so justifiably famous. They need a way to achieve self-esteem without merit. Well, there is politics. In an egalitarian world everything will be controlled by politics, and politics requires no merit.”

“In considering the ledger equal, understand the greatest gift you have given your parents is the opportunity to raise you. The things a child gets from parents can't compare to the things a parent gets from raising a child. Only by experiencing this can you understand the degree to which children give meaning to parents' lives.”