Insight: “Academies that are founded at public expense are instituted not so much to cultivate men’s natural abilities as to restrain them.” —Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677)

Upright: “No politician is supposed to have messianic powers. The more we see our president as a sort of economic or societal savior, the more power we invest in him — and the more likely we are to see a corrupt, power-swollen leader rise to the presidency. Balance of powers? The importance of federalism and limited government? Unfortunately, all these traditional American principles have faded in importance. Instead, we seek a king.” —Gracy Olmstead

About the Braying Jenny: “Prior to Clinton’s tenure, being an agent on the Secretary of State’s protective detail was seen as an honor and privilege reserved for senior agents. However, by the end of Clinton’s tenure, it was staffed largely with new agents because it was difficult to find senior agents willing to work for her.” —FBI interview documents

The BIG lie: “I think you’ve heard directly from both the FBI and the State Department that the notion or the accounts that have been put out there [alleging criminal collaboration in the Clinton email case] are just not true.” —Barack Obama

Alpha Jackass: “I’d advise Mr. Trump to stop whining and go try to make his case to get votes.” —Barack Obama

The truth comes out: “There are things [Antonin Scalia] said on the bench where if I had a baseball bat, I might have used it.” —Justice Sonia Sotomayor

And last… “After we settle the issue of whether the media is biased, maybe we can get back to debating the color of the sky.” —Frank Fleming