Robert

“If we don’t address the root suffering of Americans, even if you took every opioid pill away, that suffering will manifest into another social and public health problem,” he told us. “If we want to end, truly end the opioid crisis, we need to understand the basic causes of suffering and pain in America.”
― Nicholas D Kristof, Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope

“It would be nice to see people earn brownie points for acknowledging uncertainty in their beliefs, questioning the dogmas of their political sect, and changing their minds when the facts change, rather than for being steadfast warriors for the dogmas of their clique.”
― Steven Pinker, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters

“No matter what you call it – game theory, postmodernism or memetics – the dynamics of history are not directed towards enhancing human well-being. There is no basis for thinking that the most successful cultures in history are necessarily the best ones for Homo sapiens. Like evolution, history disregards the happiness of individual organisms.”
― Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

“As a matter of principle, I didn’t believe a president should ever publicly whine about criticism from voters—it’s what you signed up for in taking the job—and I was quick to remind both reporters and friends that my white predecessors had all endured their share of vicious personal attacks and obstructionism.”
― Barack Obama, A Promised Land