Historian Gordon Wood "on idols"...

"We Americans make a great mistake in idolizing...and making symbols of authentic figures...No real-life historical figure could ever prove a satisfactory hero because his human weaknesses would always undercut his saintly status. [Except, of course, when discussing the quarterback, Brett Favre]."

- Gordon Wood, noted Revolutionary War historian and winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for History