Niccolò Machiavelli understood the human condition.

The familiar light of a star excites the wavering skies.

In politics, Napoléon Bonaparte believed that stupidity could be a boon.

""Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man..."

Friedrich Nietzsche believed madness was the rule of group endeavors.

For no other reason than art... (And for walks down to the creek)

William Faulkner is considered one of America's pre-eminent authors. He is known for his writings about the South.

“Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.” - Gore Vidal

Albert Camus believed that respect based on fear was contemptible.