Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

He showed the words "chocolate cake" to a group of Americans and recorded their word associations. "Guilt" was the top response. If that strikes you as unexceptional, consider the response of French eaters to the same prompt: "celebration.

Are there good governments and bad governments? No, there are only bad governments and worse governments.

No sight better expresses the politics of aid, the dynamics of the West and the developing countries, than the image of children, happy or in need.

The hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning.

Overheard in a Washington D.C. confessional: "Bless me, Father, for sins have been committed.