If I wrote in Jacob Riis' time, I'd be writing about teeming slums in our cities and kids dying of tuberculosis or outhouses in Philadelphia or kids losing their toes because they were living in homes without heat. He took on a battle in 'The Battle with the Slums' - and we won.

One of the most depressing aspects of the whole Brexit debate has been the rush to instant judgment about the motives of MPs and others and the readiness to accuse others of treachery or betrayal.

One of the earliest resurrection scenes in the Bible is that of Thomas demanding evidence - he wanted to see, to touch, to prove. Those who question and probe and debate are heirs of the apostles just as much as the most fervent of believers.

I like to give my inhibitions a bath now and then.

We need to punch back against the extremes of both the left and the right and define the terms of the debate ourselves.

I was able to battle back through depression.

If you aim for parody right off the bat and it misses, no offense to the filmmakers, but it is Meet the Spartans.

I think one of the battles for fiction writers is how much to invent or exaggerate.

All Americans have benefited from the dedicated service of Representative Henry Waxman. In every battle and in every moment that mattered most, Rep. Waxman stood up for the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the wild places we cherish.

I saw my first indoor bathroom when I was 9.

I take the debate on the method of promoting democracy seriously.

In America, we have always taken it as an article of faith that we 'battle' cancer; we attack it with knives, we poison it with chemotherapy or we blast it with radiation. If we are fortunate, we 'beat' the cancer. If not, we are posthumously praised for having 'succumbed after a long battle.'

The Germans have done wonderful work. Not long ago, a German battle group battalion conducted a very impressive counterinsurgency operation in a portion of Baghlan province. I think these are the first counterinsurgency operations conducted by any German element after World War II. And they did a very impressive job.

You don't always win your battles, but it's good to know you fought.

A sweaty Macbeth with blood on his arms coming in fresh from the battle doesn't interest me.

When I was young, my ambitions were very modest. I thought, 'If only I could play at the battle of the bands at the Y, that would be the culmination of existence!' And then the roller rink, and you work your way up branch by branch.

To effectively debate ideas and discuss complicated issues takes time.

It is exciting for me to see the stats guys winning the battle and getting into MLB front offices.

What is at a peak is certain to decline. He who shows his hand will surely be defeated. He who can prevail in battle by taking advantage of his enemy's doubts is invincible.

Leading up to Election Day 2008, candidate Barack Obama declared, 'We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.' Conservatives heard a menacing threat. For liberals, it was a rallying cry. The battle was on.