The United States has long thought of itself as the land of infinite plenty, and historically we did have abundant resources. But now we are gradually exhausting our fisheries, our topsoil, our water. On top of that, we're coming to the end of world resources.

Introspection and preserved writings give us far more insight into the ways of past humans than we have into the ways of past dinosaurs. For that reason, I'm optimistic that we can eventually arrive at convincing explanations for these broadest patterns of human history.

Native Americans had only stone and wooden weapons and no animals that could be ridden. Those military advantages repeatedly enabled troops of a few dozen mounted Spaniards to defeat Indian armies numbering in the thousands.

Human societies vary in lots of independent factors affecting their openness to innovation.

It takes most men five years to recover from a college education, and to learn that poetry is as vital to thinking as knowledge.

You really don't need to study how to change a diaper. As a new mom, you learn pretty darn quickly!

I'm from Brooklyn. I grew up very poor- seven people, four rooms. My dad had no education.

I started working in the oilfield upon graduating high school. I was on the service end of it, driving tank trucks for Johnny Geer for a couple years and learning about oil and gas production. I had a whole cadre of mentors.