We are the oddballs in the history of the human race, and anybody who follows our pattern, and it's important to realize that because there's nothing inevitable about the development that has come about to be characteristic of the world.

我们美国人,以及其他与我们采用同一政体的国家,是人类历史中的异类,明白这一点很重要,因为这个世界发展的规律就是,没有什么是必然的

耶鲁公开课 - 古希腊历史简介课程节选