It is impossible to get out of a problem by using the same kind of thinking that it took to get into it.

I believe that whoever tries to think things through honestly will soon recognize how unworthy and even fatal is the traditional bias against Negroes. What can the man of good will do to combat this deeply rooted prejudice? He must have the courage to set an example by words and deed, and must watch lest his children become influenced by racial bias.

Politics is a pendulum whose swings between anarchy and tyranny are fueled by perennially rejuvenated illusions.

The greatest activity of which man is capable: Opening up yet another fragment of the frontier of beauty.

Nationalism, on my opinion, is nothing more than an idealistic rationalization for militarism and aggression.

Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.

The essentials of being a person of my type lies precisely in what they think and how they think, not in what they do. Your thoughts shape you.