Words like "freedom," "justice," "democracy" are not common concepts; on the contrary, they are rare. People are not born knowing what these are. It takes enormous and, above all, individual effort to arrive at the respect for other people that these words imply.

We have all had the experience of finding that our reactions and perhaps even our deeds have denied beliefs we thought were ours.

You know, it's not the world that was my oppressor, because what the world does to you, if the world does it to you long enough and effectively enough, you begin to do to yourself.

People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.

Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did.

The world is before you, and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in.

Pessimists are the people who have no hope for themselves or for others. Pessimists are also people who think the human race is beneath their notice, that they're better than other human beings.