“The theory of democratic government is not that the will of the people is always right, but rather that normal human beings of average intelligence will, if given a chance, learn the right and best course by bitter experience.”

“Human beings can always be relied upon to assert, with vigor, their God-given right to be stupid.”

“There is no such thing as an average human being. If you have a normal brain, you are superior.”

“There are some things that no amount of pure intelligence can anticipate, but which can only be learned by bitter experience.”

“About the nature of human beings. I discovered that confronted by temptation, we will always fall. Given the right circumstances, every human being on this earth would be willing to commit evil.”

“The Independent Expert is persuaded that recognition of peace as a human right will promote a democratic and equitable international order and that national and international democratization will reduce conflict, since peoples want peace. It is Governments that stumble into war.”

“Right now we are being given the experience we need to raise our consciousness.”

“The successful managers know that the best way for their people to learn and grow is through experience and that means taking chances and making errors.”

“Even if drugs are fully as destructive as they are usually claimed to be, it is morally wrong — and demonstrably more destructive — for government to deprive people of their unalienable, individual, civil, Constitutional, and human right to make an utter mess of their own lives. Since human beings are inclined to learn more from the mistakes they make, rather than from their triumphs, the right to fail, for individuals and groups alike, may be even more important than the right to succeed, and it must be fiercely protected at almost any cost.”

“Democratic Socialism. It's not the same as Socialism Socialism, because its democratic. Right? Or something. Right? People buy that right? People are buying that now apparently.”