There's an element of clowning and entertainment to Trump, that makes it surreal and hard to understand to what extent he is pretending to be a fascist or an authoritarian.

Activists measure progress against the standard of perfection, or at least the most perfect possible choice. Historians gauge progress against what came before it.

Trump's not the future; his ideas and his coalition are a dead end.

President Obama is so much smarter and a better communicator than members of Congress in either party. The contrast, side by side, is almost ridiculous.

Barack Obama is an intellectual.

I never thought Hillary Clinton was a very good politician.

I'm convinced in 100 years Obama will have an important place in the civic pantheon of American life.

Donald Trump will be a tragedy, a sad joke in American history.

Everything on Twitter is true.

We're not going to be living in a world of abundant coal power in a hundred years.

We're not going to be living in a world where white identity politics is the basis for a major political party.

The most meaningful prayer is kindness.

Chemical synthesis is uniquely positioned at the heart of chemistry, the central science, and its impact on our lives and society is all pervasive.

Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles.

Every State is a dictatorship.

No rule of etiquette is of less importance than which fork we use.

People ridiculously overvalue aesthetics and beauty when evaluating products. It's one of the reasons iPods, and, for that matter, Keanu Reeves, are so successful.

I hate the telephone. I think the lowest circle of hell is reserved for Alexander Graham Bell.

But of works of art little can be said.

I can wear a sexy dress to any red carpet event. My wedding is my chance to go all the way and wear a princess silhouette.

The deepest depth of vulgarism is that of setting up money as the ark of the covenant.