But they did, and it's amazing. It's a high, high honor. And they were each judged on their own merit.

Merit is much more cheaply acknowledged than rewarded

This begins the weakening of the merit system.

Man's chief merit consists in resisting the impulses of his nature

Be not ashamed of thy virtues; honor's a good brooch to wear in a man's hat at all times.

Bleep theory belongs in philosophy, not a science class. But I think it does have enough merit to be a topic of conversation somewhere other than the backwoods and closets.