I am very, very hopeful about the American South - I believe that we will lead America to what Dr. King called 'the beloved community.'
— John Lewis
You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong, is not right.
Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Never lose that sense of hope.
Too many of us still believe our differences define us.
You have to tell the whole truth, the good and the bad, maybe some things that are uncomfortable for some people.
We are one people with one family. We all live in the same house... and through books, through information, we must find a way to say to people that we must lay down the burden of hate. For hate is too heavy a burden to bear.
We come to Selma to be renewed. We come to be inspired. We come to be reminded that we must do the work that justice and equality calls us to do.
Some of us gave a little blood for the right to participate in the democratic process.
Many young people, many children, are being abused, being put down, being bullied because of their sexual orientation.
We must bring the issue of mental illness out into the sunlight, out of the shadow, out of the closet, deal with it, treat people, have centers where people can get the necessary help.
What I try to tell young people is that if you come together with a mission, and its grounded with love and a sense of community, you can make the impossible possible.
When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.
Not one of us can rest, be happy, be at home, be at peace with ourselves, until we end hatred and division.
There may be some difficulties, some interruptions, but as a nation and as a people, we are going to build a truly multiracial, democratic society that maybe can emerge as a model for the rest of the world.
Without the Sisters of St. Joseph, I might not be standing here.
I do not agree with what Mr. Snowden did. He has damaged American international relations and compromised our national security. He leaked classified information and may have jeopardized human lives. That must be condemned.
It was not enough to come and listen to a great sermon or message every Sunday morning and be confined to those four walls and those four corners. You had to get out and do something.
I always felt growing up that in the South there was evil but also good - so much good.
We all live in the same house, we all must be part of the effort to hold down our little house. When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just... do something about it. Say something. Have the courage. Have the backbone. Get in the way. Walk with the wind. It's all going to work out.
We're one people, and we all live in the same house. Not the American house, but the world house.
Sometimes I hear people saying, 'Nothing has changed.' Come and walk in my shoes.
The vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have.
What 'March' is saying is that it doesn't matter whether we are black or white, Latino or Asian. It doesn't matter whether we are straight or gay.
The vote is precious. It's almost sacred, so go out and vote like you never voted before.
Before we went on any protest, whether it was sit-ins or the freedom rides or any march, we prepared ourselves, and we were disciplined. We were committed to the way of peace - the way of non-violence - the way of love - the way of life as the way of living.
I wanted young people to know that I was just a typical child.
Too many people struggled, suffered, and died to make it possible for every American to exercise their right to vote.
There's nothing wrong with a little agitation for what's right or what's fair.
We must continue to go forward as one people, as brothers and sisters.
I really believe that all of us, as Americans... we all need to be treated like fellow human beings.
I'm very hopeful. I am very optimistic about the future.
Rosa Parks inspired me to find a way to get in the way, to get in trouble... good trouble, necessary trouble.
I want to see young people in America feel the spirit of the 1960s and find a way to get in the way. To find a way to get in trouble. Good trouble, necessary trouble.
The civil rights movement was based on faith. Many of us who were participants in this movement saw our involvement as an extension of our faith. We saw ourselves doing the work of the Almighty. Segregation and racial discrimination were not in keeping with our faith, so we had to do something.
I believe in forgiveness; I believe in trying to work with people.
Never become bitter, and in the process, be happy and just go for it.
We are one people; we are only family. And when we finally accept these truths, then we will be able to fulfill Dr. King's dream to build a beloved community, a nation, and a world at peace with itself.
I couldn't say no to A. Philip Randolph and no to Martin Luther King, Jr. These two men, I loved them, I admired them, and they were my heroes.
It's a shame and a disgrace that so few people take part in the political process.
There are still forces in America that want to divide us along racial lines, religious lines, sex, class. But we've come too far; we've made too much progress to stop or to pull back. We must go forward. And I believe we will get there.
The vote controls everything that you do.
Following the teaching of Gandhi and Thoreau, Dr. King, it set me on a path. And I never looked back.
Reading the Martin Luther King story, that little comic book, set me on the path that I'm on today.
Obama is not an African American president, but a president of all Americans. It doesn't matter if you are black, white, Hispanic, he's the president of all races.
We need some creative tension; people crying out for the things they want.
Early on, I wrote a letter to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. I was 17. I felt called, moved.
Never give up. Never give in. Never become hostile... Hate is too big a burden to bear.
If you ask me whether the election of Barack Obama is the fulfillment of Dr. King's dream, I say, 'No, it's just a down payment.'
I never praised Mr. Snowden or said his actions rise to those of Mohandas Gandhi or other civil rights leaders.
We are tired of being beaten by policemen. We are tired of seeing our people locked up in jails over and over again. And then you holler, 'Be patient.' How long can we be patient?
