At its most basic the democratic contract is a simple one: the right to vote comes with a responsibility to society through tax payments and citizenship.

Philanthropy is involved with basic innovations that transform society not simply maintaining the status quo or filling basic social needs that were formerly the province of the public sector.

Diversity in the world is a basic characteristic of human society and also the key condition for a lively and dynamic world as we see today.

Human rights commissions as they are evolving are an attack on our fundamental freedoms and the basic existence of a democratic society... It is in fact totalitarianism. I find this is very scary stuff.

The basic thing nobody asks is why do people take drugs of any sort? Why do we have these accessories to normal living to live? I mean is there something wrong with society that's making us so pressurized that we cannot live without guarding ourselves against it?

In this time of budget cuts we cannot forget that basic science is a building block for scientific innovation and economic growth in the information age.

A successful society is characterized by a rising living standard for its population increasing investment in factories and basic infrastructure and the generation of additional surplus which is invested in generating new discoveries in science and technology.

Science fiction has its own history its own legacy of what's been done what's been superseded what's so much part of the furniture it's practically part of the fabric now what's become no more than a joke... and so on. It's just plain foolish as well as comically arrogant to ignore all this to fail to do the most basic research.

It is this at its most basic that makes science a humane pursuit it acknowledges the commonality of people's experience.

I suggest that the introductory courses in science at all levels from grade school through college be radically revised. Leave the fundamentals the so-called basics aside for a while and concentrate the attention of all students on the things that are not known.

It's both funny and sad which seem to me to be the two basic ingredients of good comedy.

Even when I begin with a situation that's basically funny or sad I like to keep poking around in it. I like to get into the middle of a relationship to explore the subtle places.

Basically I'm a romantic.

I love romantic comedies or romantic dramas - basically anything with love in it.

My focus is always on the day. What I've done behind me I try to have respect for it and keep an eye on it and make sure it isn't abused and obviously be thoughtful about it because it's all real to me. I'm basically in every band I ever was in and the songs I still mean them all.

First and foremost I'm a feminist. And basically that stems from a strong belief that all people and creatures deserve equal opportunity rights and respect.

Basically fundamentalism is a modern phenomenon. In the same way that Hitler evoked a mythological religion of German purity and the glory of the past the Islamists use religion to evoke emotions and passions in people who have been oppressed for a long time in order to reach their purpose.