"Sam Rayburn on LBJ's recuperation from his heart attack: "It would kill him if he relaxed. - Robert A. Caro

Why political power? Because political power shapes all of our lives. It shapes your life in little ways that you might not even think about.

He took the trolley instead of the bus because it was smoother and he could read on it.

The farm work they hated was the only work they knew. Often, even the basic skills of plumbing or electricity or mechanical work were mysteries to them – as were the job discipline and the subtleties that children raised in the industrial world learn without thinking about them; starting work on time, working set hours, taking orders from strangers instead of their father, playing office politics.