“For emotion is the enemy of rational argument.”

“A woman's income appeal is a bell-shaped curve: men do not want to date low-earning women, but once a woman starts earning too much, they seem to be scared off.”

“There are three basic flavours of incentive: economic, social and moral.”

“Is distinctive black culture the cause of economic disparity between whites and blacks or merely the reflection of it?”

“An expert whose argument reeks of restraint or nuance often doesn't get much attention.”

“Conventional wisdom in Galbraith's view must be simple, convenient, comfortable and comforting - though not necessarily true.”

“In politics, the pen is at its heaviest because it is weighed down by the collective responsibility it holds towards its people and their future in the eyes of the world.”

“Pender laughed. "Verify? In this day and age? Who cares about verifying anything? It's all about the speed. Who gets there first defines the truth. You know that as well as any man living.”

“It is the same in all wars; the soldiers do the fighting, the journalists do the shouting, and no true patriot ever gets near a front-line trench, except on the briefest of propaganda-tours.”

“Statistics is the grammar of science.”

“You cannot feed the hungry on statistics.”

“Happiness statistics may be most valuable in smaller, local discussions. Understanding how different sorts of programs affect the well-being of citizens would be enormously helpful to a mayor choos...”