A government is not legitimate merely because it exists.

Words can destroy. What we call each other ultimately becomes what we think of each other, and it matters.

All of us confront limits of body, talent, temperament. But that is not all. We are, all of us, also constrained by our time, our place, our civilization.

I don't think the government (of El Salvador) was responsible. The nuns were not just nuns; the nuns were political activists. We ought to be a little more clear-cut about this than we usually are. They were political activists on behalf of the Frente and somebody who is using violence to oppose the Frente killed them.

There is an absolutely fundamental hostility on the part of totalitarian regimes toward religion.

I believe that detente was having almost the opposite effect of what was intended. What was intended was to sort of end the contest for power and to stop Soviet expansion, especially by military means and the military build-up, the military contest

[The American position at the UN is] essentially impotent, without influence, heavily outvoted, and isolated.