Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"For the great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived, and dishonest -- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the cliches of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.

"Mythology distracts us everywhere -- in government as in business, in politics as in economics, in foreign affairs as in domestic affairs. But today I want to particularly consider the myth and reality in our national economy. In recent months many have come to feel, as I do, that the dialog between the parties -- between business and government, between the government and the public -- is clogged by illusion and platitude and fails to reflect the true realities of contemporary American society."

-- President John F. Kennedy (b. 1917-05-29, became US President 1961-01-20, d. 1963-11-22), at Yale, 1962-06-11

[Sometimes I run across a quotation that sounds interesting but a little suspicious, and when I track it down to make sure it's attributed correctly I discover that it's actually a wee fragment of something much better, and I can serve y'all better by quoting a larger-than-bumper-sticker-sized chunk. This was one of those.]