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1. I think America is going to have to think through whether it wants to uplift the political dialogue or advance an approach that divides and, frankly, can lead to violence.
2. I have a long-term interest in the humanities.
3. History provides a sense of where we’ve been and lessons that can be taken forward.
4. America is very decentralized in how it supports the humanities, unlike European countries where virtually everything stems from the central government.
5. The majority of U.S. high school students don’t know within 50 years when the Civil War occurred.
6. Drawing on President Bush’s reform plan, which would allow citizens to transfer part of their Social Security contributions into personal accounts, an alteration of the current system is needed to make necessary change.
7. The hallmark of our times is change and acceleration, but we have to provide the history.
8. A government of, by and for the people is obligated to conduct the nation’s business in a manner that respects dissent.
9. It is hard to cement any relations with any country based on promises that may not be deliverable.
10. When I look at Social Security, I consider it the most important social program in the United States, arguably the most successful program in the world.
11. Civility is not simply about manners.
12. America somehow thinks that leadership relates to governance, and it certainly does. But society is much bigger than governance, and some of the truly great leadership of our society is outside the governance arena.
13. The arts and humanities are vastly more important in troubled times.
14. Our culture is more shaped by the arts and humanities than it often is by politics.
15. If you read literature, you put yourself in somebody else’s shoes. You learn from great figures in literature.
16. There are words bandied about that are being misused — words like ‘socialism,’ words like ‘communism,’ words like ‘fascism.’
17. Iraqis have held elections and have recently put together their government, all encouraging developments.
18. Public decision-making does not lend itself to certitude.
19. There’s probably a little greater case for pessimism than optimism. But I do not rule out optimism.
20. Civility is not about dousing strongly held views. It’s about making sure that people are willing to respect other perspectives.