James Fallows

“China is a country ruled by law, and the law is whatever the leaders say it is.”

“Anyone who has spent time in Washington and has followed the pages of the Post in the last decade has to be aware of the corrosive impact of this kind of ad hominem journalism.”

“The single most important variable in determining America's success in the past has been its belief that its future would be better.”

“For all of its well-deserved reputation for pragmatism, American popular culture frequently nurtures or reflects respect for notions of chivalry.”

“A nation that can't control its own borders isn't a nation.”

“Most people who are HIV positive are not injecting drugs or having sex with lots of people. It's a cruel illness that came out of nowhere.”

“The nature of the new war is that it will be fought on a hundred fronts, in a dozen different ways.”

“What is hardest to convey about the dynamics of America's military is that it is not a normal government bureaucracy. It is more like a religion, a cult.”

“In place of a true-believer faith, you have a true-believer despair.”

“The danger of the Internet is that it is so easy to find people who agree with you.”