Hugh Mackay

“Although we love the idea of choice - our culture almost worships it - we seek refuge in the familiar and the comfortable.”

“The copycat effects of media violence, similar to those previously attributed to westerns, radio serials and comic books, are easy to exaggerate.”

“On average, Australians watch more than three hours of television a day, compared with 12 minutes a day spent by the average couple talking to each other.”

“Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.”

“I'm in total sympathy with Dick Smith's sentiments; I only wish there were grounds for saying we Australians would never tolerate such appalling treatment of refugees being carried out in our name.”

“Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes are uncertain. People are irrational.”

“Indeed, in the present climate of mistrust of institutions, many people who yearn for a more meaningful and fulfilling life would regard the church as an unlikely place to go for guidance.”