“The more I observed Washington, the more frequently I visited it, and the more people I interviewed there, the more I understood how prophetic L’Enfant was when he laid it out as a city that goes around in circles.”
John Mason Brown, Literary Critic, 1956

Simpson’s Contemporary Quotations is a reference book of historical quotes now under the auspices of American University. The quote of the day, from the archives of journalist James B. Simpson, is a regular feature on the Observer which presents quotes he compiled in relation to current events.