“Most people fail to realize that money is both a test and trust from God.”

“We did live in dire poverty. And one of the things that I hated was poverty. Some people hate spiders. Some people hate snakes. I hated poverty. I couldn't stand it. My mother couldn't stand the fact that we were doing poorly in school, and she prayed and she asked God to give her wisdom. What could she do to get her young sons to understand the importance of developing their minds so that they control their own lives? God gave her the wisdom. At least in her opinion. My brother and I didn't think it was that wise. Turn off the TV, let us watch only two or three TV programs during the week. And with all that spare time read two books a piece from the Detroit Public Libraries and submit to her written book reports, which she couldn't read but we didn't know that. I just hated this. My friends were out having a good time. Her friends would criticize her. My mother didn't care. But after a while I actually began to enjoy reading those books. Because we were very poor, but between the covers of those books I could go anywhere. I could be anybody. I could do anything. I began to read about people of great accomplishment. And as I read those stories, I began to see a connecting thread. I began to see that the person who has the most to do with you, and what happens to you in life, is you. You make decisions. You decide how much energy you want to put behind that decision. And I came to understand that I had control of my own destiny. And at that point I didn't hate poverty anymore, because I knew it was only temporary. I knew I could change that. It was incredibly liberating for me. Made all the difference.” 

“Only through an inner spiritual transformation do we gain the strength to fight vigorously the evils of the world in a humble and loving spirit.”

“Yet partial obedience is disobedience.”

“Airplane travel is nature's way of making you look like your passport photo.”

“May you live boldly and be all God intends you to be, and live in the fullness of the joy and beauty that you were created for.”

“Each of us is what we are because of the DOMINATING THOUGHTS which we permit to occupy our mind.

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”

“One touch of His (God’s) favor can put you fifty years ahead of where you thought you’d be.”

“Trees, how many of 'em do we need to look at?

“Solitude is painful when one is young, but delightful when one is more mature. ”

“If I do good, I feel good...If I do bad, I feel bad”

“Straight tribulation is easier to bear than tribulation which advertises itself as pleasure.”

“The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.”

“This is what we’re going to do. I asked God for wisdom, and this is the answer I got.”