“In elevating to a level of demiworship people with big bucks, we have been destroying the values of our future generations. We need a total rethinking of who the heroes are, who the role models are, who we should be honoring.”

- Rabbi Benjamin Blech, professor of philosophy of law at Yeshiva University, on the downfall of financier Bernard Madoff

“Heroes, whatever high ideas we may have of them, are mortal and not divine. We are all as God made us and many of us much worse.”

- John Osborne, English playwright