When the dignity of one person is denied, all of us are denied.

The leadership for civil rights has to take place in the White House or it is going to take place in the streets.

There is a great deal of difference between living and surviving. You can survive in debauchery, even in sickness and despair. But you live with a spirit of vitality and a spirit of participation, of being wanted, and having something to contribute.

It is better to gain a foot than to stand still, even when you seek to gain a mile.

People in places many of us never heard of, whose names we can't pronounce or even spell, are speaking up for themselves. They speak in languages we once classified as exotic but whose mastery is now essential for our diplomats and businessmen. But what they say is very much the same the world over. They want a decent standard of living. They want human dignity and a voice in their own futures. They want their children to grow up strong and healthy and free.

I am not here to judge whether people are locked in poverty because of themselves or because of the society in which they live. All I know is that they are there and we are trying to do something about it.

Equality means equality for all - no exceptions, no 'yes, buts', no asterisked footnotes imposing limits.