“The problem in defense is how far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without.”

So the world is again faced with the problem of armed aggression. Powerful dictatorships are attacking an exposed, but free, area.

What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight- it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

You do not lead by hitting people over the head — that’s assault, not leadership.

Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you’re going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don’t be afraid to go in your library and read every book.

Preventive war was an invention of Hitler. I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked about such a thing.

Always try to associate yourself with and learn as much as you can from those who know more than you do, who do better than you, who see more clearly than you.

We seek peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom.

Never waste a minute thinking about people you don’t like.

Don’t be afraid to go to your library and read every book as long as any document does not offend your own ideas of decency.

The problem is not merely man against man or nation against nation. It is man against war.

May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.

Things are more like they are now than they ever were before.

If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone.

All generalizations are inaccurate, including this one.

The world is more like it is now then it ever has before.

Worry is a word that I don’t allow myself to use.