The present state of the system of nature is evidently a resultant of what it was in the preceding moment, and if we conceive of an intelligence which at a given instant comprehends all the relations of the entities of this universe, it could state the respective positions, motions, and general effects of all these entities at any time in the past or future.
自然系统的当前状态显然是前一时刻的结果，如果我们设想一个智能体在某一瞬间理解了这个宇宙中所有实体的关系，它就能陈述这些实体在过去或未来的任何时间的各自位置、运动和一般效应。
Trust is the currency of leadership.
"The past is never dead. It's not even past."
条件作用原理同样适用于所有物种。
以客观角度来看，这个世界确实变得更好，但同时也变得更糟。前进一步，又倒退一步，仿佛宇宙在科技进步和文化倒退间达成平衡，使人类的进展呈钟形曲线。