Insight: “Leave men free, and their natural inequalities will multiply almost geometrically, as in England and America in the nineteenth century under laissez-faire. To check the growth of inequality, liberty must be sacrificed, as in Russia after 1917. Even when repressed, inequality grows; only the man who is below the average in economic ability desires equality; those who are conscious of superior ability desire freedom, and in the end superior ability has its way.” —Will Durant (1885-1981)

Upright: “The Obama White House will rub whatever raw political nerves it takes to kick up a culture clash in order to mobilize the Obama election coalition for Hillary Clinton’s flagging campaign. That Friday’s ‘Dear Colleague’ letter on transgender students will launch years of litigation and release political furies in school districts across America is the main point.” —The Wall Street Journal

Observations: “[Donald Trump] seems to think that he has all the answers and that he doesn’t need any advice from staff or anybody else. And that he knows more about these things than anybody else.” —former Defense Secretary Robert Gates

Belly Laugh of the Week: “The health insurance market is a lot better for private citizens now than it was before the Affordable Care Act. That’s just a fact.” —Josh Earnest

Braying Jenny: “[Bill Clinton will be] in charge of revitalizing the economy. Because, you know, he knows how to do it.” —Hillary Clinton (Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the Obama economy.)

And last… “The Hillary vs Trump spectacle will achieve something lasting and useful if it reduces our reverence toward the office of the president.” —Frank Fleming