Humans tend to congregate where the best resources are. Is it wise to take the best soils and turn them into parking lots?

As population increases we are going to have to rely on our soil resources more and more. Because of their style of consumption, in Europe the amount of land needed to support urban areas is 100 times larger than the urban area itself.

Any organisation is like a septic tank. The really big chunks rise to the top.

Jefferson said he loved the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. I think that's really a relevant quote today, because we have been thinking more and more about what the future will bring to Monticello.

People in Virginia and elsewhere come because they want to see the beauty of the house, or they're interested in architecture. But we have other people come because they're interested in how to compose a declaration of independence, or how to set up a government.

We want to not only be stewards of the property, but also act as a leader by doing the right thing by current construction standards.