The faculty - insofar as they were real Benton faculty, and not just nomadic barbarians - reasoned with the students, 'appreciated their point of view,' used Socratic methods on them, made allowances for them, kept looking into the oven to see if they were done; but there was one allowance they never under any circumstances made - that the students might be right about something, and they wrong.

The Southern past, the Southern present, the Southern future, concentrated into Gertrude's voice, became one of red clay pine-barrens, of chain-gang camps, of …

It is better to entertain an idea than to take it home to live with you for the rest of your life.

President Robbins was so well adjusted to his environment that sometimes you could not tell which was the environment and which was President Robbins.

Your teachers are always telling you [high school students] to behave like adults. I wonder if they'd like it if you did. You may be loud and disorganized, but…

All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind…

Son, never listen to a priest or a policeman...the only thing they have is the key to the shithouse.