I guess if I had to pick a spiritual figurehead to possess the deed to the entirety of Earth, I'd go with Buddha, but only because he wouldn't want it.

It was made clear to me that I wasn't supposed to trouble the moody Creator with any pesky questions about the eccentricities of His cosmic system....Thus my idea of heaven was that I got to spend eternity sitting at the feet of God, grilling Him. "Let me get this straight," I'd say, by way of introduction. "It's your position that every person born has to suffer because Eve couldn't resist a healthy between-meals snack?

History is full of really good stories. That's the main reason I got into this racket: I want to make the argument that history is interesting.

Like Lincoln, I would like to believe the ballot is stronger than the bullet. Then again, he said that before he got shot.

You know you've reached a new plateau of group mediocrity when even a Canadian is alarmed by your lack of individuality.

I get younger people who watch Conan or The Daily Show, but before that it was mostly people who knew me from public radio. Those people are kind of old.