The Wit and Wisdom of Adlai Stevenson is a 95 page book of collected quotes from the afore named presidential hopeful from the late 40s through the 50s. As leader of the Democratic party, then their candidate for president, and finally as US representative to the UN, Stevenson was a Confucian "gentleman", eschewing political success for civil duty and proper action. He's not a memorialized figure; I knew nothing about him beyond that famous photo of the hole in his shoe, but is political thought as it is represented in this book is timeless.

On the Red Scare: "I am no more in favor of socialism than anybody else, and I particularly dislike things that creep. But if I don't like what they call creeping socialism, there is something else I dislike just as much, and that is galloping reaction."

And another: "My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular."

There are some good brain chips here on politics, government and America. This is a nice little book to read through in 10 minutes and pull out every once and a while when you need to be reminded that there are in fact people with some sense in the world. ( )