“People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.”

“There is nothing divine about morality, it is a purely human affair.”

“Embrace every good opportunity you encounter; some will get you informed; others will get you inspired… Some will get you involved and others you make you improved!”

“But whenever I tried to pin down this idea of self-esteem, the specific qualities we hoped to inculcate, the specific means by which we might feel good about ourselves, the conversation always seemed to follow a path of infinite regress. Did you dislike yourself because of your color or because you couldn’t read and couldn’t get a job? Or perhaps it was because you were unloved as a child—only, were you unloved because you were too dark? Or too light? Or because your mother shot heroin into her veins … and why did she do that anyway? Was the sense of emptiness you felt a consequence of kinky hair or the fact that your apartment had no heat and no decent furniture? Or was it because deep down you imagined a godless universe? Maybe one couldn’t avoid such questions on the road to personal salvation. What I doubted was that all the talk about self-esteem could serve as the centerpiece of an effective black politics. It demanded too much honest self-reckoning from people; without such honesty, it easily degenerated into vague exhortation. Perhaps with more self-esteem fewer blacks would be poor, I thought to myself, but I had no doubt that poverty did nothing for our self-esteem. Better to concentrate on the things we might all agree on. Give that black man some tangible skills and a job. Teach that black child reading and arithmetic in a safe, well-funded school. With the basics taken care of, each of us could search for our own sense of self-worth.”

“I am savage enough to prefer the woods, the wilds, and the independence of Monticello, to all the brilliant pleasures of this gay capital [Paris].”

“if you can read, honey, you can learn just about anything you want to know. The doors of the world are open to people who can read.

“Experience alone isn’t a good enough teacher – evaluated experience is.”

“It's not those who are handsome we love, but those we love who are handsome.”

“He did what heroes do after their work is accomplished; he died.”

“No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”

“Our voices, our service, and our abilities are to be employed, primarily, for the glory of God.”

“Tienes que dejar atrás tus desilusiones y fracasos,”

“KEEP YOUR TONGUE FROM EVIL! For let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days [good—whether apparent or not] keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from guile (treachery, deceit). 1 Peter 3:10”

“Inspirar a otros para hacer un mejor trabajo es el logro de un líder.”

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”