... if the Republicans don't bring prosperity, who on earth is going to?

Anybody who is stupid enough often stumbles on an effect that could never be thought up by the most brilliant. I suspect that there is a thing which you might call the genius of stupidity.

When people speak of Time's healing magic, they are simply being euphemistic about our human tendency - and perhaps necessity - to forget.

there are times when the one thing you haven't counts more than all the riches that may be yours.

Most trouble is unnecessary. Between the indignity of being born and the agony of dying enough bad things must of necessity happen to people. But we can't be satisfied with that. We have to go to work and see how much additional trouble we can create. Misunderstanding, turmoil, effort put on all the wrong things, and then more misunderstanding.