As I watched my grandfather work with people who were impoverished, I began to understand that to be truly human, one must serve.

Research must continue to be the centerpiece of intellectual life, and our commitment to research must grow, because our problems are growing.

Our most consequential human problems will be resolved, not through competition, but collaboration... what we need in education is a learning climate in which students work together. In such an atmosphere, truth emerges as authentic insights are conscientiously exchanged.

In the end, excellence in education means excellence in teaching, and if this country would give the status to first grade teachers that we give to full professors, this one act alone would revitalize the nation's schools.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if every home had good books instead of knick-knacks and plastic flowers on the bookshelves? And wouldn't it be great if every child heard good speech and received thoughtful answers to their questions instead of 'be quiet' or 'go to bed'?

A poor surgeon hurts one person at a time. A poor teacher hurts 130.

Literature is an inquiry into the deepest yearnings of the human spirit.