Somehow he felt more resigned than surprised. Things had been going far too well for far too long. Just when you thought you had the universe by the … - Charles Sheffield

Are we perhaps guilty of temporal chauvinism, believing that our own time is uniquely important, as all generation tend to think that their time is of unique importance?

You can learn more about a person by watching them eat one meal than by listening to them speak for a whole day.

The same thing happens to every President. People tell a chief executive what they think he wants to hear. Rosy economic reports, high popularity figures, promising international changes, you name it. There’s a competition to be the first with good news. Anyone who tells bad news tends to get weeded out—even if all the real news is bad.