It was to carry the American democratic journey beyond these failings that Black citizens and civil rights workers risked unemployment, violence and death.

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being.

Men always talk about the most important things to perfect strangers.

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.

People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.

Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence.

I just invent, then wait until man comes around to needing what I've invented.

I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.

Not only will we have to repent for the sins of bad people; but we also will have to repent for the appalling silence of good people.

There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.

Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.

It's funny how humans can wrap their mind around things and fit them into their version of reality.

We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.

If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.

There is no marvel in a woman learning to speak, but there would be in teaching her to hold her tongue.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.

You climb to reach the summit, but once there, discover that all roads lead down.

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works.

Outstanding people have one thing in common: an absolute sense of mission