“Anderson and others who want to defend a fundamental truth about marriage—will need to take a similar approach. They need to go much further back in human history—to explore the origins of human monogamy—and draw upon the science behind it to make their case. A tall order? Absolutely. But without it, without a deep understanding of human nature drawn from multiple scientific disciplines, they will never be able to make a truly convincing case that can reach across social and political boundaries.”

On the unfinished nature of Chinese paintings: “The story goes, a man entered a painting competition to see who could draw the best snake. The man drew a snake faster than anyone else, and feeling quite smug at finishing first, decided to add legs and little feet to his snake. Predictably, the other artists laughed at him upon seeing the result. The lesson is: Do not ruin something by adding superfluous extras.”

“There are many ways in which, in this Age of Fracture, the institution of modernity are decaying, sputtering out, breaking down. But one of the most significant, insidious, and damaging is that they no longer seem to reliably produce leaders — but demagogues. And, in turn, demagogues are, of course, historical bellwethers of decline, stagnation, disintegration. True leaders lead people to an impossible destination. It does not exist in the world. It exists in being. They lead us towards to our better selves.”