Young people can understand, and must understand, that we had success, we had failures, but we never gave up. We never gave in. We never became bitter. We didn't hate. We continued to press on. And that's what we're saying: There are some ups, there are some downs, and when you're not down, you must have the capacity and the ability to get up and keep going.
John LewisMany of us in Nashville accepted nonviolence as a way of life, a way of living, not simply as a technique or a tactic.
John LewisI believe it is my obligation to tell the story of the civil rights movement to the next generation.
John LewisThe civil rights movement was based on faith. Many of us who were participants in this movement saw our involvement as an extension of our faith. We saw ourselves doing the work of the Almighty. Segregation and racial discrimination were not in keeping with our faith, so we had to do something.
John Lewis