“Human beings have produced wonders. We've cured diseases and reduced hunger, charted outer space, expanded the prospects for long and joyous lives. Were we to return to ancient Greece with all of our technology, we would indeed seem godlike.

But we are not gods, and fortune is not ours to direct. Idealists forget this, and they are more easily ambushed by life. Realists remember this, and realism often accompanies resilience.”