This past Tuesday there were three birthdays of note. Normally I might simply excerpt their bios from The Writer’s Almanac, but I think today I’ll just give you three good quotes:

David Mamet said, "People may or may not say what they mean... but they always say something designed to get what they want."

Jonathan Swift said, "When a true genius appears in this world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."

Samuel Clemens, who said, "The secret source of humor is not joy but sorrow; there is no humor in Heaven." And, "Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company."