Russell Baker

"Truth is like a surgical operation—it is painful but healing."

"The great tradition of parliamentary politics requires people to have genuine moral conviction."

"All too often, mountains fail to materialize when travelers arrive at their destination."

"Democracy is a system that runs on the assumption that it's better to count heads than to break them."

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

"Everything you need to know about being a writer comes down to this: Read a lot. Write a lot."

"The difference between good and bad government is that one takes more money."

"In America, it is sport that is the opiate of the masses."

"We expect too much at the end of life and too little at the beginning."

"The truth is that style is substance."

"Progress was all right. Only it went on too long."

"The act of writing offers a way out and a way through."

"All the best education comes from other writers."

"Sophistication might be described as the ability to cope gracefully with the contrariness of life."

"A man without a woman is like a fish without a bicycle."

"The world will break your heart ten ways till Sunday."

"We are dying from overthinking. We are slowly killing ourselves by drowning in our thoughts."

"The human race is faced with a cruel choice: work or die."

"Typewriters are like the people who use them: they reveal character."

"Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution."

"Leisure is a fine thing, but it seems to be given to very few."

"The secret to good writing is knowing your subject."

"Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it."

"The art of life is to enjoy it."

"When you find a good friend, hold tight."

"Sometimes the answer is not in the question."

"The things that matter most in life are the ones that cost nothing."

"In a world without walls, what need is there for windows?"

"Most of us are living lives of desperation with the occasional glimpse of hope."

"Writing is the hardest way of saying nothing."