Quotes from David Brooks

I learned I'm not a science writer. I'm not very good at describing how something is happening. I try to describe "So What?"

Two terrible behaviors don't make a good behavior.

The crossroads where government meets enterprise can be an exciting crossroads. It can also be a corrupt crossroads. It requires moral rectitude to separate public service from private gain.

I've observed a few things about the few really great people I've had a chance to meet and cover...They need to be around people. You and I require sleep. They require people.

I think actually in any party it's a sign of general health to have different views, and especially on the subject of trade.

Things that change history tend to be organized.

Through American history, we have had populist movements that often, often, often have this ugly racial element. But, often, there are warning signs of some deeper social and economic problem.

I think we are all disgusted by the way George W. Bush's administration has allowed honesty and candor to seep into the genteel world of international affairs.

Memo to young journalists: Democratic victories are always ascribed to hope; Republican ones to rage.

Human beings are primarily defined by what we desire, not what we know.

The daily activity that contributes most to happiness is having dinner with friends. The daily activity that detracts most from happiness is commuting. Eat more. Commute less.

Every White House I have covered since Reagan, when I got here, power has been more concentrated in the White House than the one before.

To explain the unknown by the known is a logical procedure; to explain the known by the unknown is a form of theological lunacy.

As Paul Tillich put it, suffering introduces you to yourself and reminds you that you are not the person you thought you were.

I wouldn't say philosophy and theology are dead. Brain science doesn't invent new philosophies but it helps remind us which of our existing philosophies are more true.

The rich don't exploit the poor. They just out-compete them.

I generally think debates within a party should not be treated as a scandal. They should be treated as a sign of strength, to be honest.

Almost every successful person begins with two beliefs: the future can be better than the present, and I have the power to make it so.

Populists hate journalists, they hate teachers, they hate lawyers, but they tend to like rich people. There's something deeply consistent.

Live life as a series of revelations

We have rapidly increasing technology, which is making life very good for people who are good at using words, and not so good for people who are not good at using words.

It's worth noting that you can devote your life to community service and be a total schmuck. You can spend your life on Wall Street and be a hero

Institutions do all the things that are supposed to be bad. They impede personal exploration. They enforce conformity. But they often save us from our weaknesses and give meaning to life.

Most people don't form a self and then lead a life. They are called by a problem, and the self is constructed gradually by their calling.