"For I dipped into the Future, far as human eye could see, saw the vision of the world, and all the wonder it would be." Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1842

"Education is learning what you didn't know you didn't know."  George Boas

"Your days are short here; this is the last of your springs. And now in the serenity and quiet of this lovely place, touch the depths of truth, feel the hem of Heaven. You will go away with old, good friends. And don't forget when you leave why you came." Adlai Stevenson, quoted by Donald Kennedy speaking to graduating Stanford students

``In 1941, the Japanese took over Hong Kong. From 1942 to 1945, the Americans attempted to persuade them to leave by a campaign of bombing the place,'' senior police bomb disposal officer Dominic Brittan, Hong Kong Police, in explaining why an unexploded bomb with 230 Lb. of TNT was found in the middle of the city, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people while the bomb was diffused (2/21/2000).

Daniel Bamba Sheik, Ivory Coast Interior Ministry, in explaining why Gen. Robert Guei, leader of a coup which had dissolved the country's democratic government ten months earlier, had unilaterally dissolved an electoral commission overseeing new elections days after the election and declared himself the winner, ``This commission, visibly lacking in experience ... instituted operational procedures for tabulating results that made the results unacceptable, causing, as was observed, mistakes and confusion.'' 10/24/00

Here are some favorite quotes that I personally heard:

"Don’t read Hegel, Jeff. Hegel’ll really mess you up." Dan Flickinger, 2/22/99

"Nietzche is fun to read." Dan Flickinger, 3/11/99

"Don’t accept the Nobel Prize until you’re ready to retire." Prof. Doug Osheroff, Stanford University, 1996 Nobel Prize winner in Physics, 3/10/99

"I know less about literature than I know about myself. I only know that I like what I like, and half the time I don't even know that." Adi Peshkess, 5/3/99

"I have an insatiable need to learn about materials science, okay?" Stephanie Pun, 1/6/00