Daniel P. Moynihan

Somehow liberals have been unable to acquire from life what conservatives seem to be endowed with at birth: namely, a healthy skepticism of the powers of government agencies to do good.

The great corporations of this country were not founded by ordinary people. They were founded by people with extraordinary intelligence, ambition, and aggressiveness.

The single most exciting thing you encounter in government is competence, because it’s so rare.

Citizen participation is a device whereby public officials induce nonpublic individuals to act in a way the officials desire.