One of the most important aspects of science that I learned from my father was to distrust authority.
Put not your trust and confidence in kings and princes.
I believe that Americans should be deeply skeptical of government power. You cannot trust people in power. The founders knew that. That's why they divided power among three branches, to set interest against interest.
Never put your faith in a Prince. When you require a miracle, trust in a Witch.
I think having a healthy distrust of authority is a good thing, within certain parameters, obviously.
If [Barack] Obama or the boss or the newspapers or anyone else tells you they're doing this, that, or the other thing, dismiss it or assume the opposite is true, which it often is.
America has always been a country of amateurs where the professional, that is to say, the man who claims authority as a member of an élite which knows the law in some field or other, is an object of distrust and resentment.
As Australians, we see the law as inherently bad. We have a real inherent distaste for authority in our makeup.
