I consider it the duty of scientific men who have learnt exact modes of working to examine phenomena which attract the attention of the public, in order to confirm their genuineness or to explain, if possible, the delusions of the dishonest and to expose the tricks of deceivers.

Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,Nor public men, nor cheering crowds.

If you had come to me a hundred years ago, do you think I should have dreamed of the telephone? Why, even now I cannot understand it! I use it every day, I transact half my correspondence by means of it, but I don’t understand it. Think of that little stretched disk of iron at the end of a wire repeating in your ear not only sounds, but words—not only words, but all the most delicate and elusive inflections and nuances of tone which separate one human voice from another!

The trouble in modern democracy is that men do not approach to leadership until they have lost the desire to lead anyone.

It was about midnight when hooded men... raided our offices and ordered the night duty staff to switch off the transmission.

It was about midnight when hooded men … raided our offices and ordered the night duty staff to switch off the transmission.