Be able to set a table so that you feel like you're dining, not just sitting and eating.

Make a habit of canceling every subscription to anything you don't have time to read.

Multi-tasking arises out of distraction itself.

The magnitude of an action may change not only the strength of its impact, but the direction. If you became a dentist, for example, you would certainly be an asset to our society. But what if everyone became a dentist? Who would bake the bread? Who would build the houses?

Geometry is beautifully logical, and it teaches you how to think and prove that things are so, step by step by step. Proofs are excellent lessons in reasoning. Without logic and reasoning, you are dependent on jumping to conclusions or -- worse -- having empty opinions.

Yes. The original argument is defective. Substitute the word 'male' for 'gay,' and you'll see the flaw: 'Male people cannot be normal. If everyone were male starting tomorrow, the human race would die out, so being male cannot be nature's intended way.' Or you could substitute the word 'female.' In either case, the argument makes no sense: Being male or female is perfectly normal.

I believe Picasso's success is just one small part of the broader modern phenomenon of artists themselves rejecting serious art- perhaps partly because serious art takes so much time and energy and talent to produce-in favor of what I call 'impulse art': art work that is quick and easy, at least by comparison.

Know which officials are voted into office and which are appointed, and by whom.

Be able to cite three good qualities of every relative or acquaintance that you dislike.

Know the difference between principles based on right or wrong vs. principles based on personal gain, and consider the basis of your own principles.

Be able to defend your arguments in a rational way. Otherwise, all you have is an opinion.

Be able to recognize when you're reading or hearing material biased to your own side.

Have enough sense to know, ahead of time, when your skills will not extend to wallpapering.

Know how to travel from your town to a nearby town without a car, either by bus or by rail.

Be able to sneeze without sounding ridiculous. That means neither stifling yourself or spraying your immediate vicinity.

Know where to find the sunrise and sunset times and note how the sky looks at those times, at least once.

Be able to analyze statistics, which can be used to support or undercut almost any argument.

Be able to describe anything visual, such as a street scene, in words that convey your meaning.

Know what to do if you feel faint or dizzy, especially if you might fall and hit your head.

I've never found an interesting person with a foul mouth.